


Snow Globe

by IfIwereJane



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-06-04
Packaged: 2017-12-14 00:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/830405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IfIwereJane/pseuds/IfIwereJane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern AU - When Merlin walks in Morgana's life, he's just another idiot she plans on having fired by the end of the month –just like every other one. She has never intended to enjoy his company from the very first week. And her brother Arthur didn't think it was possible for someone to be that infuriating and fascinating at the same time. - Eventual M/A</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snow Globe

**Author's Note:**

> I first published this on ffnet as a WIP, it is now complete. Hope you enjoy. :)

  **Snow Globe**

**_Part 1_ **

"Merlin, are you actually planning on getting a real job at some point?" Gwen complains for the hundredth time.

"I do want one." Merlin protests. "But they don't want me, that's all."

His best friend sighs tiredly but gives him a cup of tea nonetheless before she sits with him on the couch. Merlin hates it when Gwen is being nice in one of those particular moments when he really could use some excuses to be an ass without hating himself afterwards.

After all, she's got everything to be hated for. She's the poster girl for perfect life. Happily married to a hot, smart and gentle soul affectionately called 'Lance', she's living in the loveliest flat Merlin has ever set eyes on, and working in a successful small shop where she can create and sell her own clothes. She also happens to be a mother-hen to him and to worry about him all the time because he can't keep a job –or a boyfriend for that matter– for more than a month.

"I'll be ok." He repeats –just as he always do after a dismissal. "Gwaine said he can manage for a month before we're in the red again."

"Gwaine won't be here forever." Gwen reasons.

"He's not going anywhere soon. He needs me to watch over Rosie when he goes out."

"But he will grow up eventually and move out of your flat."

"Rosie will be 30 years old before him." Merlin jokes.

But Gwen is not amused and he rolls his eyes:

"Relax Gwen, you know I always find a way."

"But you're here when you could be looking for a job though." She can't help but saying it out loud. She loves Merlin dearly, but he's like a child who can't find his way in the world and she fears he won't ever find it.

"Gwaine doesn't want Rosie to know I've been sacked again so he asked me to come home at the same hour I would if I still had the job. He said irregularity is not good for a 7 years old girl."

"If Gwaine of all people thinks you will set a bad example for Rosie, then you're in trouble, Merlin." Gwen insists.

"I'll have a new job by the end of the month, you know me."

"I do, and that's why I'm worried. You can't live like this forever. You'll need to settle at one point or another."

"I'm a free spirit, that's not gonna change." Merlin shrugs.

Gwen sighs and gets up to refill the teapot. Merlin follows her in the kitchen to fetch some more milk.

"Why don't you go back to college?" Gwen dares to suggest, her back to him.

"Oh, 'cause that's gonna be so helpful to pay the bills." Merlin spats.

"Don't be a jerk about it, Merlin." She warns him.

"Sorry." He sighs. "Look, I know you think I'm a failure… Don't try to deny it –I _know_." He adds when she's about to protest. "But I'm a grown-up and it's not the first time I fail. I'll get back on my feet –as I always do."

Gwen gives him a worried look but doesn't dare to push him more. Merlin thanks her silently and then engages her in a new conversation on the clothes she is creating for the new season. He knows she could go on and on about his problems, but he's just been fired and he wants to think about anything except his situation now. And thank God, Gwen is the nicest person on earth and that's just what she does for the next hour.

* * *

Merlin has been home for five minutes when his phone buzzes with a text message from Gwen. He rolls his eyes because not only does she know him by heart, she's also behaving like his mother –like always.

**Gwen:** _"One of Lance's mate just heard of a job as an assistant, interested?_

**Merlin:** _"Do I have a choice?"_

**Gwen:** _"I text you the address as soon as he's home."_

Merlin considers the idea for a minute. He's never been an assistant before but he's not really sure it's a job for him. He has always had problem with authority and he has a feeling that working for an obnoxious, bossy and wealthy businessman would make a time bomb of him.

He doesn't have more time to consider since the little Rosie comes home and dashes right in his legs to hug him. He laughs and picks her up to twirl her around for their daily ritual of the 'plane-hug'.

"One of this day, you're gonna hurt yourself, Merlin." Gwaine says while settling his stuffs in the dressing-room.

"But she likes the plane-hug, don't you Rosie?" Merlin protests with a smile, all his bothers forgotten.

"One more time!" The child approves, giggling.

"Homework first." Gwaine interrupts.

"I did it with the nanny." Rosie argues.

"I want to check, go in your bedroom, I'm right behind –and don't give me the pouty face, young lady!"

"You're no fun!"

Rosie keeps on complaining loudly under Merlin's amused gaze while she drags her schoolbag quite theatrically to her bedroom.

"I could believe you're a responsible adult if I didn't know better…" Merlin teases Gwaine.

"Says the man who can't keep a job."

"This is coming from the human garbage who came home at 4am with no recollection of his own name, therefore my ego is intact." Merlin retorts, grinning.

"At least I have a job to be hangover at in the morning." Gwaine ripostes.

"I found a job already." And it's not that much of a lie.

"Prostitution doesn't count." Gwaine mocks.

"Fuck you."

"You wish."

They glare at each other for a moment, but they are laughing hysterically the next minute.

"I'm going out again tonight, will you watch over Rosie?" Gwaine eventually asks.

"Getting serious about a certain lady, aren't you?" Merlin teases.

"That's not an answer."

"I could say the same."

"You have lost your job; you're not supposed to be in such a good mood, Merlin."

"It's not as if I had lost a job three times this year –and we're in April."

Gwaine laughs and goes to the kitchen to check that there's something to cook for Rosie's dinner. He really is trying to set a good example for his niece, but sometimes it gets really hard not to order pizza or take-overs all the time.

"I'll watch over Rosie." Merlin declares when he sits on the bar stool in front of Gwaine who is trying to choose between pastas and green beans.

Gwaine offers him a grateful smile and courageously settles for the green beans.

They easily fall back into their routine after that: setting the table; speaking about their day, their friends, their wishes for the future; checking on Rosie's homework for Gwaine; visiting the website of his potentially future employer for Merlin; and eating with Rosie in a joyful meal.

And even if he's purposeless and jobless and a failure… Merlin feels like he's part of a family and he wouldn't change anything for the world.

* * *

Merlin is still unsure of how he got the job but he is in front of the building now and he sure as hell doesn't want to get in. He's sick in the stomach and he has no idea of what an assistant he's supposed to do.

The building of the Pendragon Corporation seems to go up straight to the sky and its many windows are shining too brightly. Merlin had heard of buildings like that in the USA, he never thought they had it in London and he has been living in the city for five years.

He had googled the Company on his way to his interview two days ago and he had discovered that Uther Pendragon was one of the wealthiest men of the country. He had no idea that a company that began by offering bodyguard services could get this worldwide influence and own shares in companies around the world. He's not even sure he has grasped every activity the Pendragon are implicated in yet. He's heard they've got architectural projects and own a lot of shopping centers around the world and he's quite sure he has read somewhere that they still train the best bodyguards of the country.

There's no chance on earth for Merlin to fit in this world.

And that's what he texts to Gwen before even entering the building.

**Merlin:** _"Standing in front of the building. Seems posh."_

**Gwen:** _"Don't you back down, Merlin Emrys. You need the money."_

**Merlin:** _"I don't even know how I got the job. The interviewer seemed about to cry when I left"_

**Gwen:** _"Don't overthink, be polite and above all: don't be yourself"_

"Don't be yourself." He reads out loud. "The most useful advice ever, thank you Gwen."

He rolls his eyes but eventually gets in, thinking really hard of the little Rosie.

When Gwaine had announced that his niece was coming to live with them one year ago, Merlin hadn't been exactly ecstatic about it. But he had agreed anyway, because Gwaine was going through some rough stuffs with his sister's brutal death and there was no way on earth that he was letting his best friend down when he needed him the most. However, now that Rosie is in his life, Merlin often wonders how he has made it all these years without her. The little brat had crawled her way through his heart before he even got the chance to say never.

He needs the job, _they_ need the job and that's what eventually makes him enter the building.

He checks the floor he's supposed to go to on the contract the interviewer gave him and decides against the use of the stairs when he reads 'Floor 35'. He's alone in the elevator and verifies he's not looking too untidy. When he realizes that he does indeed look like a mess, he sighs and tries to flatten his unruly hair unsuccessfully. Merlin's never been too worried about his appearance but he supposes that such a job requires some elegance. Gwen would say he's not making any effort if he does not at least try to look decent and polite.

When he finally finds the office of Morgana Pendragon, he knocks lightly and waits for his new boss to invite him in. When she does, he hears some annoyance in her tone and braces himself for what's about to happen.

Inside, he faces the most beautiful woman he has ever seen –and his best friend is Gwen, so that _is_ saying a lot. She has long disciplined brown hair, the purest green eyes, a face that could be described as goddess-like, and what he sees of her figure behind the desk must make most men unable to utter a correct sentence in front of her. If Merlin ever chooses to go for a woman, she would be the one to blame.

That is, until she opens her mouth.

"Are you going to stay in the doorway all day?" She barks.

Merlin has always responded fiercely to this kind of tone and it takes all he has in him not to snap right back at her something really insolent.

"Good morning Miss Pendragon." He articulates politely instead.

"Do not patronize me." She retorts, crossing her arms.

Merlin really thought he wasn't that obvious in his tone, he assumes she's really good at detecting lies –that must be exhausting for the people around her.

"Did you bring coffee?" She asks, looking back to her computer.

"No, I didn't. I have not been informed you needed one."

"Are you aware that your job's name pretty much reads 'go fetch me a coffee'?"

"I was unaware that the job I applied to was entitled 'servant'." He instantly snaps.

He covers his mouth in horror because he really should have thought twice before he spoke. He can already hear Gwen's cry of anger.

He dares to glance at his soon to be ex-employer and is shocked to discover that she seems genuinely amused, a smirk lighting up her gorgeous face.

"Blunt honesty, I quite like that." She grins. "Tell me your name again?"

"Merlin Emrys, Miss."

"What do you think of my office, Merlin?" She asks, her tone daring.

"You could do with more light." He answers before he overthinks everything and fails to answer properly.

"What do you think of this job?" She inquires, curious.

"I can't speak of something that has not yet begun."

"What do you think of disabled people?"

"I don't know how to answer this question."

"Oh really?" She seems to be enjoying the conversation far more than he does.

"Do I have to think something particular about it? I mean, what does it change? …–Are you going to sack me?"

He really didn't want to ask that but she's making him nervous. He doesn't know what to think of her little game but he cannot see where this is going. The situation appears to please her though, because she is now beaming at him and escapes a little laugh:

"You don't read the tabloids, don't you?"

"Should I?"

"Oh please, don't." She implores.

She seems to fumble with something behind the desk and the next moment gives Merlin a death wish because he's an insensitive fool. She is in a wheelchair.

"Don't feel sorry for me, I'm lucky enough to be alive." She says more gently than she has talked before. "And it's only temporary." She nods towards her legs in plaster. "Car crash –I always drive too fast." She then explains.

"I'm sorry if it sounds insensitive but please, don't fire me?"

She laughs and rolls her eyes.

"You're not going to get fired because you didn't lick my boots. You do need to go fetch me a coffee though – _please_. We'll talk about your role as my assistant after."

"Thank you." He bows a little and feels foolish but it only makes her laugh a little more.

He exits the room quickly and sighs heavily as soon as he's out. This is gonna be harder than he thought to keep his cool. And he's fairly certain that his new boss is bipolar. It's just a matter of time before she fires him.

Gwen is so going to kill him.

* * *

 

**_Part 2_ **

_._

**Merlin** : _"They don't have a coffee machine. ABORT MISSION"_

**Gwen** : _"Step out of this building and I kill you myself."_

**Merlin** : _"Does it mean you'll get me a coffee?"_

**Gwen** : _"You're not supposed to text me when you're at work. Don't get fired on your 1st day, please."_

Merlin puts his phone back in his pocket and enters Morgana Pendragon's office with a coffee from the Starbuck out of the building since there is no coffee machine inside –none that he's heard of anyway.

Morgana thanks him and invites him to stand next to her desk to read a piece of paper that looks like a check-list. She explains to him that she will give him this kind of list of things to do every mornings and he will have the entire day to execute them. Merlin thus discovers that his job consists of coffees to bring, mail to prepare and send, and files to carry to other offices. Which is easier than his previous job as a waiter in a bar –he surely doesn't want to remember how he messed up the orders every single time.

After answering some practical questions he has, Morgana creates a new e-mail address for him and asks him to start by sending thousandth of e-mail to the staff about a certain "Arthur Pendragon" who is supposed to come back today.

The rest of the morning bores Merlin to death but he does not let her see it –he's still afraid to be sacked before the end of the day.

* * *

When Merlin comes back from his lunch break, Morgana is not alone in her office. There is a blond man standing in front of her, his back to Merlin, and they seem to be too caught up in an argument to see him.

Merlin begins to think that Morgana doesn't know how to speak to people without being mean or ironic but when he hears the man's tone, he fathoms she's not the only one.

He settles for crossing the room to go to the desk Morgana gave him but she notices him before he even moves his foot.

"Merlin, you're back." She states, apparently happy to end her chat with the man.

He shrugs and nods, because it's obvious he's back, really. He ponders if he should say something but forgets about it when the blond stranger turns towards him.

"Arthur, this is Merlin Emrys, my new assistant. Merlin, meet Arthur Pendragon, my beloved older brother." Morgana introduces them with a smile.

The word 'hot' doesn't even begin to describe Arthur Pendragon. Broad shoulders, blue eyes, flawless blond hair, and every other details make him perfect. Merlin doesn't usually go for blonds, but that was a minute ago. He definitely needs to try a blond man once in his love life.

Merlin fleetingly wonders if he's in a contest with Morgana to try and play with the hormones of every members of the staff –no wonder they sack a lot of people.

Arthur nods briefly and turns back towards Morgana.

"Do you plan on keeping him for more than a week?" he asks at Merlin's astonishment.

"As a matter of fact, I do." She grins.

"I guess I need to learn his name then, don't I?"

"That could prove useful."

"What's his name again?" Arthur inquires as if the subject of the conversation wasn't standing right behind him.

"My name is Merlin Emrys." Merlin answers before Morgana.

"Excuse me, was I talking to you?" Arthur scowls.

"You weren't, as a matter of fact, you were too busy being rude." Merlin snaps automatically.

And this time, he doesn't bother to regret it.

"Morgana, you should reconsider this one. I may fire him for you." Arthur says to his sister without leaving Merlin's death glare.

"If that means I don't have to see an ass like you daily, I can quit myself." Merlin fires back.

Gwen has always said that Merlin thinks with his pride and couldn't define the verb 'to lie' if he were asked. That has never been so true, he realizes. He is so mad at this man that he's one step from storming out of here without a glance back.

"Oh please don't quit yet, Merlin, I'm quite enjoying myself now." Morgana cuts in. "And you can't fire him, Arthur dear, he's under _my_ responsibility." She adds with a smirk.

"That's defiance at a high level." Arthur sounds irritated.

"You were being rude and you know it. Now, could you please find someone else to annoy? Merlin and I have work to do."

Gwen could actually be proud of him since Merlin chooses this moment to keep his mouth shut even if the man's furious glare towards him sends him on edge.

"I'm not paying his salary." Arthur declares with annoyance.

"Don't you worry dearie, you're not the only wealthy person in this room." Morgana sneers.

Arthur escapes an annoyed grunt and turns on his heels to go out.

"Welcome back Arthur." Morgana cheers behind him.

"I didn't miss you." He throws back at her without turning.

He slams the door and she laughs joyfully.

"Don't be afraid of Princess Arthur, his head has always been too big for his own good anyway." Morgana says to Merlin.

"Is he always that rude?" Merlin dares to ask.

"Actually, that was one of his good days."

"Do I really want this job?" Merlin asks out loud.

"You will when you get your first payment." Morgana grins. "Now, back to work. Don't make me regret any of this."

Merlin obeys, incredulous. It feels like working in an asylum: he's surrounded by crazy people who can't possibly be real.

* * *

**From: M_Emrys**

**To: Fancy_Gwen**

**Subject:** SAVE ME

_This job is awful. I have two bosses, one is beautiful but very frightening, and the other is an ass and I really want to punch him in the face._

_Can I go home now?_

* * *

**From: Fancy_Gwen**

**To: M_Emrys**

**Subject:** RE: SAVE ME

**_ARE YOU USING THE EMAIL ACCOUNT OF THE COMPANY TO COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR BOSSES? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND, MERLIN?_ **

_If I receive another email, text, or if you even dare to think about Twitter and Facebook, I'm telling Gwaine about the crush you had on him two years ago. And you know how much Gwaine's ego loves to talk about his charms **FOR DAYS.**_

_Go back to work. **NOW**._

* * *

Merlin is tempted to e-mail something very rude to Gwen because she could be a more supportive friend but he knows her well enough to be fairly certain that she is capable of the worse. So he holds back and accepts his fate for the rest of the day.

"Worst first day of work _ever_." Merlin complains as soon as he's home.

"Gwen told me. I'm sure you'll get through it though." Gwaine smiles sympathetically.

"They are _psychopaths_!"

"Can I have your stuff if they kill you?"

"Haha, you're so funny Gwaine, really mate, thank you for your continued support." Merlin mocks.

"You're welcome. Now, if you mind, I'd like to tell you everything about how I get laid last night."

Merlin pulls a face and gets up from the couch but Gwaine catches him and puts him down again. Merlin really appreciates Gwaine, but hearing about his love life is definitely not his favorite part about their friendship.

So he discreetly texts Gwen.

.

**_Merlin:_ ** _"Gwaine going on and on about his conquest. Worst day ever. SAVE ME."_

**_Gwen:_ ** _"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. (The job part)"_

" _As for Gwaine, my thoughts go to you and your sufferings"_

**_Merlin:_ ** _"Come and rescue me?"_

**_Gwen:_ ** _"I can't. Lance and I going out tonight."_

**_Merlin:_ ** _"Are you kidding? You're married, you're not even supposed to have a sex life anymore."_

**_Gwen:_ ** _"Don't be grumpy. I'll see you tomorrow."_

**_Merlin:_ ** _"oops gwaine saw i was texting see u later"_

**_Gwen:_ ** _"Haha. Have a good evening Merlin, I'm proud of you. :)"_

_._

Gwaine throws a cushion in his face and Merlin throws it back, laughing because Gwaine has never been able to be crossed with him –not convincingly that is.

"Ok, I get it, no more girl talk then." Gwaine eventually yields. "I have to go and pick up Rosie at her grandpa's anyway. Can you make us dinner?"

"Sure." Merlin nods.

"We sound awfully domestic." Gwaine can't help but notice, a grin on his lips. "I need to get laid more often; you're messing with my head, Emrys."

Merlin rolls his eyes. "You're a moron."

"That's more like it!"

Gwaine beams at him and storms out of the flat the next minute. And Merlin feels stupidly happy because it's good to see his old joyful friend getting back up on his feet.

* * *

After a week of working at Pendragon Corporation, Merlin is genuinely surprised to discover that he has not been fired. However, he's pretty sure that Arthur Pendragon –or 'the prat' as he loves to call him now– has tried to get him sacked a hundred times. They argue over everything that could be argued about each time they have been in the same room for more than two minutes. It always ends with Arthur swearing it's Merlin's last day in the company. And it never fails to amuse Morgana. The more they shout at each other, the more she seems to enjoy herself.

Merlin is still puzzled by Morgana's odd behavior in general. It's not that she enjoys people's sufferings, not at all, but she clearly likes every situations in which she has the upper hand. For instance, she has decided that a day without making Merlin blush at least once is not a good day. But she also loves a good battle of minds and Merlin's quick-wit seems to be her new favorite toy.

"I have missed people's honesty." She confesses to Merlin the first night they're going out for a drink.

"You can spot every liar around you, how could you miss honesty?" Merlin wonders out loud.

"I know they are lying, but I'd prefer it if I didn't have to use my superpower. All they see is a poor woman in a wheelchair; they never dare to speak the truth because they pity me. You're different. The first time you saw me, you didn't notice the chair and you acted just like you would have if I wasn't disabled."

Merlin drinks some of his beer before he frowns:

"Is it a bad thing?"

"No, not at all." She smiles. "You're just afraid to get sacked; you're not seeing the chair every time you lay an eye on me."

Merlin nods, still a bit lost, but he doesn't dare to insist because they are not close enough yet.

"Anyway, thank you for not treating me as if I might die tomorrow." She concludes with a grin.

"You're welcome." He smiles back. "And thank you for not firing me on my first week."

"My pleasure. I drink to our new collaboration."

"Cheers." He raises his glass a little before he drinks.

Merlin is still a little bit nervous because he has never drunk with one of his bosses before and he doesn't know where to stand. He's not sure he has been informed as to what is acceptable and what is not.

"Relax, I just told you I love your honesty, I'm not gonna fire you because you're being yourself." Morgana smirks and Merlin meditates on her many talents.

"How did the accident happen?" Merlin blurts out.

He regrets it instantly because she looks like she wasn't prepared to hear that question. She breathes in and out several times before she faces him again.

"I'm sorry, that was completely inappropriate." He mumbles.

"No, that's fine." She reassures him with a bitter smile. "I was with my friend and flat mate, Morgause. I tried to avoid a large truck on the road; I think Arthur told me the driver had fallen asleep behind his wheel. I went out of the road and my car ended up in a tree."

Merlin nods, unable to find what's proper to say in such a case.

"Anyway, my back was badly hurt and I've been in this wheelchair for four months and a half now."

"I'm sorry." Merlin tells her even if he's aware that's a dumb thing to say.

"Don't be, I'm lucky." Morgana answers, her gaze lost somewhere in her memories.

"What about Morgause?" Merlin dares to ask.

"She was not that lucky." Morgana whispers painfully. "She didn't make it out alive."

Merlin opens and closes his mouth but finally decides against saying something. He remembers when Gwaine learned about the his sister's accident, no words could have erased the pain. That's one of those things humans have to face alone forever. Death is a lonely pain.

"I'm sorry, I have ruined a perfectly fine night." Morgana tells him with tears in her eyes.

"I was going to ruin it at one point anyway." Merlin answers with a tentative grin.

And it works, because a small smile crawls on her lips and he can see in it that she's grateful.

He's not really sure why he has this sensation at this instant, but he feels like that night is the beginning of a friendship of some sort between them.

* * *

 

**_Part 3_ **

_One month later…_

Merlin can't believe it when he updates his Facebook status before he enters Morgana's office but it's been a month and he still has a job –the same one, which is even more amazing. He puts back his phone in his pocket and gives Morgana her coffee. She cheers him silently since she is on the phone and he nods with a smile and goes straight to his desk where a note with his duties for the day awaits him.

It has not been easy to work for a huge company such as the Pendragon Corporation. He is still convinced that it's not his world and that he's gonna get fired at any minute. The work is kind of boring most of the time. However, he has worked on his behavior and done some actual good efforts. He has to give credits to Morgana for at least 70% of this heroic deed though, since she has become a friend more than a boss and really, it's easier to work for someone you like and respect.

She's not that scary anymore, at least she's less scary now that he gets her sense of humor. They have gradually become friends over the hours after, when Merlin decided to stay to help her some more or to get a drink with her. They dined out three of four times and talked a little bit more about themselves, so he guesses that makes them friends.

He talked about Gwaine and Rosie and how it's been difficult to cheer them up and help them carry on with their lives after the death of Gwaine's sister. He explained how the fact that they will always come first had got him fired a lot in the past months, but even if it infuriated Gwen, he would do it again if he had to. He told her about his best friend Gwen and her perfect husband and how jealous he could be –but not too much because he loves them dearly and they deserve all the happiness in the world.

In exchange, Morgana spoke some more about her car accident and how she's still afraid of cars now. She told him how much she hated the chair because she'd always been hyperactive. There was also this one time she broke down into tears and told him it felt like she would never walk again, and she deserved it because Morgause didn't make it. They never mentioned it afterwards. She spoke a little bit of her father but Merlin reckoned she didn't like to talk about him all that much and didn't push the subject any further. She also mentioned Arthur from time to time, mostly to try and explain to Merlin that the prat wasn't actually as pompous as he seemed –Merlin never really believed her.

During this first month, Merlin has seen Arthur a few times, as he works with his sister quite a lot. He has had the time to observe him – _no_ , not to _ogle_ him, how could he ever be interested in such a pain in the ass? – and he has drawn his conclusion: Arthur Pendragon is an enigma. He can behave like the greatest pain in the ass to have ever walked the earth and do something genuinely sweet the next minute. For instance, his banter with his sister is quite harsh, but as soon as she is not looking, he does something to make her life brighter. He bought her flowers several times and pretended to have found them on his way up –Merlin had discovered this was a lie when he was running late one day and saw him enter a flower shop. Besides, he always insists on pushing her wheelchair when they are in a corridor and every day, he discreetly asks Merlin about her actual mood –since Morgana is his rightful sister and just as sincere as he is.

But most of the time, he is still the same Arthur as the day they met: proud, arrogant, obnoxious, in one word: a moron. Merlin has stopped to count the number of times he has dreamt of punching the prat in the face.

"One month and still not fired, eh?" Morgana interrupts him.

Merlin closes his eyes in despair before he turns to face her. He has forgotten that he added her on Facebook the day before –sending a friend request to his boss of all people _, what a smart move, Emrys_.

"Am I invited to the party?" She asks with a smile.

"A party? I'm not throwing a party…" He is interiorly praying that Gwaine has not made a fool of himself on his timeline.

"Your friends seem to think otherwise." She retorts, clearly amused by his discomfort –and that's what he meant when he said she was _less_ scary. She still is when she enjoys things like that.

"I think we'll go out and have a few drinks then." He shrugs; trying to look like it's not a big deal when really he's on the verge of having a panic attack because even if Morgana is kind of his friend, this is so totally inappropriate. "But you're invited, of course. After all, it's thanks to you." He adds, more nervously than he would have wanted.

She laughs, crosses her arms and gives him _the_ look. The exact one that could extract a confession from a CIA agent.

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate." He mumbles. "But now that it's done, I'll be glad to see you tonight if you're free…"

She drops the look and smiles. "You're sweet. Next time, hide this kind of posts from me though."

He nods, biting his lips, feeling sheepish.

"That being said, Arthur invited me to dinner tonight so I won't join your little party." She regrets out loud.

Merlin considers inviting Arthur along for a minute, out of politeness. Then he remembers that he has seen him earlier and the prat has made fun of him in front of his secretary. Politeness be damned, Arthur Pendragon is never coming near one of his party.

"Maybe you could come and have a drink before you go to dinner with him?" Merlin suggests. "I'm sure it won't be a problem for him to pick you up."

"That's actually very thoughtful of you, Merlin. I'll talk with Arthur later. For now, let's go back to work, you may want to check your timeline first though, since you're supposed to invite your friends."

Merlin smiles. Morgana never ceases to amaze him.

* * *

**-Merlin Emrys :** **_has kept a job for more than a month. Yeah, hurrah me._**

_(Gwen DuLac, Gwaine Lawrence and 6 others like this.)_

**Gwaine Lawrence :** You know what that means, mate ?

**Lance DuLac :** Party ! (That's how well I know you, Gwaine...)

**Gwaine Lawrence:** Man, you're my actual soulmate.

**Gwen DuLac:** Congrats, Merlin, I knew it! ;) Gwaine: He's all mine, I have a ring to prove it! :)

**Merlin Emrys:** So I guess I'm buying you guys a drink tonight... Text you later!

**Gwen DuLac:** WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT FACEBOOK AT WORK!?

* * *

**- Arthur Pendragon: _Is it too much to ask for a decent cup of coffee?_**

_(Morgana Pendragon, Leon Dubois and 12 others like this)_

**Morgana Pendragon:** You're one of the wealthiest men of this country, buy a coffee machine.

**Leon Dubois:** He wouldn't know how to use it.

**Morgana Pendragon:** Leon, my friend, I love you dearly.

**Arthur Pendragon:** You're both fired.

* * *

Arthur complains out loud in his deserted office about his best friend who is teaming up with his sister far too often for his liking. When he's done with the cursing, he returns to the home page of his Facebook to check it distractedly. He's supposed to work on the report his father has asked about the company in France but he already knows what he has to say, he prefers to relax first.

He is reading Morgana's timeline when the 'friends' rectangle catches his eyes. He would recognize Merlin's face from a mile away and he is a bit taken aback to realize that his sister is actually friend with her annoying assistant. He has thought that Merlin Emrys would be gone weeks ago but he's still here and from the look of it, he'll be here for far longer than Arthur expected. He still doesn't get why Morgana has grown so fond of him. Merlin has no social status and no clue as to the word 'stress', he knows nothing about the society he works in, he is disrespectful to the highest level and he has ridiculously large ears.

Arthur clicks on Merlin's picture to see his profile. He goes through the pictures available –that is to say his three profile pictures– and really, Arthur doesn't get where Morgana has caught the idea that he could be attracted to this man. Merlin is not his type, definitely not, because Arthur is _straight_ –college experiments have never counted, everyone knows that _–_ and he has a gorgeous _girl_ friend. Besides, the man is _infuriating_ , how could he, Arthur Pendragon, ever have a crush on someone that annoying?

Merlin's pure blue eyes are shining brightly with laughter on a picture where he is lying on the grass, his hands covering his mouth, and Arthur feels instantly guilty as his stomach goes warm and fuzzy, so he quickly closes the Facebook tab. This man is insufferable even when he's not in the room –because really, who looks so happy and sensual on a genuine photograph?

Arthur freezes for a moment because he didn't plan on using the 's' word today, but as usual, Merlin has found a way under his skin.

In the previous month, he has tried to get him fired more than once, but Morgana has always been opposed to it and since their father can't stand the idea of his little girl, so sad in her wheelchair, Merlin is not gone and Arthur is gradually becoming crazy. And after all, what could he say to his father to make him change his mind? 'This man is a threat to my sexuality' sure as hell won't help his case.

To make a long story short, Arthur has been miserable for a month and it's all because of Merlin Emrys.

Arthur snaps out of his thoughts when Morgana enters the room and rolls towards him after closing the door again. He resists the urge to stand up and help her; he knows she hates it when he's too obviously overprotective with her.

"Hello dear brother." She grins, and Arthur knows this is not a visit for work. "Did you know it's been more than a month since Merlin's arrival?" She fires right away.

"No, I didn't." He lies. "Why is that relevant?"

"You've always been a bad liar. Anyway, I've been invited to a drink to help him celebrate so I thought maybe you could pick me up at the bar when you want to go to dinner."

"We can cancel if you prefer to join Emrys and his celebration." There is absolutely no bitterness in Arthur's tone, not one bit.

Morgana laughs and plays with her wheelchair.

"Are you jealous?" She inquires.

"I am not, why should I be? I don't like this kind of celebration." He retorts.

"It's funny that you should associate jealousy to going to my assistant's party instead of associating it with me going out without you…"

Arthur fights the urge to curse; Morgana has always been too smart if you ask him.

"I'll drop by Mithian's flat before I pick you up for dinner." He declares, choosing not to answer his sister's allegations.

"Ah yes, _Mithian_ …" Morgana grumbles. "Remind me, how long have you been dating her?"

"Three months. What is wrong with Mithian?"

"Nothing, she's a sweet boring girl. Just as beautiful as every other girlfriends you have had." Morgana sighs, sounding weary.

"You know what, forget I even asked, I am not discussing my love life with you."

"Do as you like. Now, pick me up around 8pm and please, don't be an ass in front of Merlin's friends. I actually want to make a good impression."

Arthur rolls his eyes but agrees on the schedule. Morgana is on her way out when someone knocks on Arthur's door. Morgana opens the door to Merlin who offers her a sheepish smile that definitely does not make Arthur's heart miss a beat or two.

"Sorry to interrupt." Merlin utters softly. "There's the consultant from Netherlands on the phone, asking for you Morgana."

"Can you transfer the call to my phone?" She asks before she nods towards her legs. "It will just take forever for me to go back in the office."

"I took the liberty to bring it." Merlin smiles and hands it out to her.

Morgana thanks him with a smile.

"I'll be right back, wait for me." She instructs them before she goes out in the hallway.

Arthur is overwhelmed by his urge to swear because that witch knows that he doesn't like being left alone with Merlin. The man is already annoying in a room full of people for Christ's sake.

But Merlin doesn't glance at him once; he just sits next to the door and stares emptily at the floor. Arthur feels completely uncomfortable and he prefers not to ask himself why he prefers a speaking Merlin to a Merlin who doesn't even acknowledge his presence. And he already hates himself when he takes on himself to engage his sister's assistant in a conversation:

"I heard it's been a month you're here…"

Merlin raises his head, surprised.

"Erm, yeah, a month." He nods, awkward. "I guess Morgana talked to you about my suggestion."

"She did, indeed she did." Arthur feels utterly self-conscious and for the first time in years, he wishes to melt into the ground.

"I didn't know you invited her to dinner though." Merlin eventually says. "Sorry about that."

"I'll pick her up later than I intended but it's no big deal, I understand."

"Thank you." Merlin's voice sounds surprised and he stares at him as if he had suddenly grown a ridiculous moustache.

"Congratulation by the way."

See. _Annoying_. That insufferable idiot always manages to make him lose his cool.

"I would say thanks but… If I recall well, it's not really thanks to you."

Here. They always end up here in every conversation. Merlin is gifted when it comes to pick up fights.

"One month and you will never learn, eh?" Arthur sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Well, will you?" Merlin retorts with a daring smile at the corner of his mouth. "I was just making a statement."

"But you make it sounds like I'm trying to fire you every day!"

"Oh, 'cause that's not right?" Merlin mocks.

"That's not the point. Why do you always have to be so rude?"

"I'm the one being rude?" Merlin sounds cross. "You humiliated me this morning when you could have said just hello."

"You were wearing the most ridiculous hat!"

Merlin freezes and Arthur somewhat gets the impression that whatever it is he has said in the last minute, that was going too far. Merlin's face is completely closed and what was more of a funny exasperation now looks like actual hurt.

"You know what, I don't have to put up with you. You want to be an insensitive ass and a bully? Fine, help yourself, have a nice life." Merlin snaps before he turns on his heels and goes out by the door Morgana has opened.

Too caught up in his argument with Merlin, Arthur hadn't noticed that she's back. She gives him a reproachful look and if Arthur had some doubts, he's now certain he's made something wrong.

"Sometimes I wonder why I try to defend you." She mutters.

"What did I do?" He sighs, letting his arms fall at his sides.

"Well, if you had tried and spared some time to learn a bit more about him, you would have guessed that the hat has been made by a little girl called Rosie. And you would then know that this little girl means the world to him. Merlin can take pretty much anything you throw at him, but insulting _her_ … he just can't."

"I didn't know that." Arthur shrugs but it fails to look relaxed.

"That's my point, Arthur. You didn't bother to check who he was before you judged him unfit."

* * *

**_Part 4_ **

**Merlin Emrys: _Infuriating prat._**

_(Gwaine Lawrence and 4 others like this.)_

**Gwaine Lawrence** : _Having a bit of a domestic dispute, love? ;)_

**Merlin Emrys** : _Tell me why we are friends again?_

**Gwaine Lawrence** : _It pays the bills._

* * *

**Gwen** : Running late, sorry Merlin. Lance lost his keys.

**Merlin** : No problem, got Morgana to keep me company and Gwaine coming soon w/ Rosie.

**Gwen** : Ok, see you in a bit. :)

* * *

"Are you going to put this thing away eventually?" Morgana laughs, eyeing Merlin's iPhone.

"Sorry." He flushes. "Gwen's running late but Gwaine should be here any minute now. I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

"Don't worry, you're good company." She smiles fondly. "Now go and fetch me a drink, we need to start celebrating."

Merlin grins from ear to ear and obeys right away.

It takes him five minutes to bring the drinks to the tables and he sees Gwaine and Rosie coming through the crowd the minute he sits next to Morgana. Rosie immediately runs towards him to claim a hug under Morgana's warm gaze. Merlin then introduces Morgana to his two roommates and takes good care of pointing out that Gwaine is supposed to have a girlfriend because he really doesn't want to see Gwaine trying to seduce Morgana.

"He's jealous of my love life." Gwaine jokes and sits next to Morgana.

"Oh, is he now?" Morgana smiles. "I heard you were quite the Casanova."

Gwaine grins wildly and orders his beer and Rosie's juice to the waiter.

"Does it hurt, Morgana?" Rosie suddenly asks, staring at Morgana's legs.

"No, it doesn't hurt right now." Morgana answers in spite of Merlin and Gwaine's disapproving looks for the little girl.

"Does it hurt sometimes?" Rosie inquires then.

"Just when I practice too much. The doctors say I can get back on my feet in a month from now on."

"Can I sit on your lap then?"

Merlin has never seen such a beautiful smile on Morgana's face and he secretly thanks God for Rosie's existence. This little girl can be a brat, but she's a gift from heaven.

Morgana gestures for Rosie to come and sit in her lap, which she does enthusiastically.

"You're so pretty." She utters, touching Morgana's hair with worship in her eyes. "I want to be just like you when I'm a big girl."

"Thank you, honey, but I'll tell you what; you're already a very pretty girl."

"Gwaine says it's because I'm a princess."

Merlin silently mouths the words " _don't go there_ " but Morgana wants to learn more about Princess Rosie and she embarks for fifteen minutes of fairy tales made in Rosie under Merlin and Gwaine's tired watch.

Gwen and Lance are half an hour late when they finally arrive. Gwen apologizes by offering Merlin a new tie for work which makes all his friends laugh because Merlin and ties are not in friendly terms.

"You know I never know how to put these things on…" Merlin grumbles.

"Gwaine'll show you. And then you'll think of me every time you wear it and you will thankfully _keep the job for another month._ " There is a clear threat in his best friend's voice.

"And then what will you get me? A watch?" He mocks.

"That's actually a great idea." Gwen beams. "Lance, take notes!" She is far too enthusiastic about the watch idea and Merlin already regrets his cynicism.

Merlin chooses to present Gwen and Lance to Morgana instead of continuing this frightful conversation.

Once properly introduced, Morgana and Gwen seem to form a bond in the first ten minutes of their conversation and they become oblivious to the rest of their friends, except for Rosie who is thrilled to have two girl friends for once.

Merlin settles for listening to Lance and Gwaine catching up on each other's life; but he remains quite silent. It's not that he's not happy to be with them, it's just that he doesn't feel the need to take part in every conversation. He sometimes prefers to observe and enjoy the others' company wordlessly.

Besides, he's still fuming with anger against Pendragon. The prat had no right to be that mean and really, if it weren't for Morgana, he would have quit a hundred times.

The merry gathering is interrupted by the very prat in question at 8:30pm. He walks towards their tables with a cold stance and Merlin makes a point of glaring at him.

"Arthur!" Morgana cheers. "Is it time already?"

Arthur nods quietly.

"Everyone, this is my brother Arthur; Arthur, these fantastic people are my new friends." Morgana introduces them with an excited grin.

"I'm glad you've been having fun." Arthur can't help but smile a little because it's good to see his sister in such a joyful state.

"Are you the mean prat?" Rosie unexpectedly questions.

Everyone shushes her but it's too late and despite Morgana's laugh and his anger at Arthur, Merlin can't help but feel a little guilty on behalf of the little girl.

"I am." Arthur answers evenly. "Are you Rosie?" he asks back.

"How do you know me?"

"I've heard your name once or twice; I thought that might be you when I saw a little girl looking like a princess." Arthur's lips are twitching up a little at the corners.

Merlin stares at Arthur as if it's the first time they meet. He never expected the prat to have a sense of humor, let alone be nice with annoying little girls.

"I like him." Rosie immediately states, clapping her hands with excitement. "Can you be friend with him, Merlin?"

Arthur carefully avoids Merlin's eyes but he is nonetheless laughing, even if it's more discreet than the others' roaring laughter.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your celebration, but Morgana, we do have a reservation." Arthur resumes shortly after.

"I'm coming, don't be so impatient." His sister complains.

"We're going out too." Gwen announces. "We're going to have a late dinner elsewhere."

"Can we go to Subway?" Rosie immediately asks.

"Have you been nice at school today?" Gwen checks with a suspicious look.

"Yes. I'm the nicest girl in the world because I'm a princess and princesses are good."

"That's my little girl." Gwaine grins.

"Feeling like a princess too?" Lance smirks.

"Get lost, Fluffy." Gwaine retorts.

They all leave the bar with a smile on their faces. Merlin walks behind them, to be as far as possible from Arthur. He has had a nice evening so far and he would like to keep it that way.

* * *

Gwaine watches Merlin intently, amused by his unexpected behavior in Arthur's presence.

Sure, he had his suspicion about Merlin's true feelings about "the prat", but he never had a chance to see for himself before. After living with Merlin for so long, he has developed quite a gift to read the young man's behavior and he was suspicious when Merlin kept whining about this Pendragon guy. Because Merlin loves to complain, but he tends to vary the subjects. However, ever since his first meeting with this bloke, Merlin has been unable to shut up about the "prat". And that's unusual. Gwaine has teased him –and nearly died – several times but Merlin keeps on telling him that it's stupid and that he's an idiot.

And when Merlin is reserved about something, it means everything.

Gwaine peeks at Arthur and smiles discreetly. The man is obviously uncomfortable in their company but he tries to cover it with his pride –which isn't working that much. He doesn't seem as bad as Merlin has described him though, there's nothing threatening about him. Besides, he is nice with Rosie; and in Gwaine's mind, every human being who is nice with his little girl can't be so bad.

He glances in her direction and sees her hopping around, holding Gwen and Morgana's hands and laughing. He is submerged by a wave of affection for the little girl. He had never thought it possible to love someone this much but she proves him wrong every day. He has stopped seeing her as both a gift and a curse now. He is at peace with his sister's tragic death, still sad, but accepting defeat.

Gwaine then returns his attention to the rest of the group and when he sees Arthur's frown, he realizes something is wrong… Merlin is missing.

He turns around; asking the others for clues but everyone's surprised by the disappearance.

That's when Gwaine's eyes travel towards the other side of the road that he sees Merlin facing old acquaintances –Cendred and his men.

When one the gorillas grabs Merlin by the collar, Gwaine doesn't think for a second more and runs towards his friend, demanding that the others take care of Rosie.

"Hey! You!" He shouts. "Let him go this instant!" he then threatens when he is close enough.

"Or what?" Cendred mocks.

"Those times are over. We don't want any troubles. "

"That's too late for him, mate."

"I'm not your mate." Gwaine spats. "Now, let him go or it's going to get nasty."

* * *

Merlin shut his eyes for a second when he saw Gwaine coming near. He really doesn't want to see his friend getting involved with Cendred again. But it seems to be too late now; Gwaine is in full-mode knight in shining armor.

"You're gonna play the hero, aren't you? Please, Gwaine, don't play the hero. It always ends badly when you play the hero." Merlin whines.

" _Shut up_ , Merlin." Gwaine grumbles.

"'Seems like you've finally got yourself a boyfriend, Emrys." Cendred laughs.

He's on the verge of adding and insult when a voice Merlin really didn't want to hear when he is in such a state intervenes:

"I'm this close to signaling you to the two policemen in the car over there." Arthur Pendragon utters menacingly.

Cendred checks the spot Arthur is pointing at and groans when he realizes that he's not bluffing.

"You're no fun." Cendred complains.

"Let him go." Arthur commands with a voice that leaves no choice.

Cendred glares at him but does nothing to accelerate Merlin's release. That's when Arthur grabs Cendred's arm and twists it violently behind his back until Cendred is moaning in pain.

"Release Merlin, _now_." Arthur orders.

"Ok, ok! Let him go!"

The man holding Merlin hesitates but eventually frees Merlin who walks towards Gwaine with a huge sigh of relief.

"No, go away before I decide to file a report against you." Arthur says, shoving Cendred away from him as if he were garbage.

Cendred gives him a death glare before he walks away with his gorillas.

"Are you alright?" Gwaine checks with Merlin. "Did they hurt you before we arrive?"

"I'm fine, Gwaine. I could have managed." Merlin mumbles, embarrassed.

"Oh, yeah, that was obvious." Gwaine mocks, rolling his eyes. "Thank you for stepping in." He adds towards Arthur.

Merlin suddenly seems to become aware of Arthur's presence and questions him silently. But Arthur just shrugs; not really looking at him for more than two seconds. He then declares that they should be getting back to the others.

Once there, Merlin gets hugged and Arthur and Gwaine are praised.

"You're a real prince." Rosie eventually declares to Arthur. "Thank you for saving Merlin."

"Anything for a princess like you." Arthur answers with a small smile and Rosie beams proudly.

Merlin remains unable to look at Arthur for the five minutes it takes to say goodbye to him and Morgana when they head off to their dinner.

* * *

"Want to comment what happened with Cendred and Arthur?" Gwaine asks later, when they're home and Rosie is finally in her bed.

"I'd really prefer if we don't." Merlin replies with a wince because the evening has been nice despite Cendred's intervention and he really doesn't want to start thinking about Arthur Pendragon right now.

"Still thinking he's a mean prat?" Gwaine grins.

"I'm going to bed now."

Gwaine quietly chuckles and heads towards his own bedroom.

* * *

**Gwaine Lawrence: _A real prince, eh? ;)_**

_(Gwen DuLac and Lance DuLac like this.)_

**Gwen DuLac** : _I bet our Merlin is not going to like this status but I do. :)_

* * *

**_Part 5_ **

Merlin has been restless all day and it's not the ideal way to begin a new week of work. But he can't help it, not when it's so damn hard to avoid Arthur Pendragon.

He's been thinking about Arthur for the last two days and it's really not a good idea for them to see each other. Merlin can't seem to get over the image of a threatening Arthur defending him. He would have thought that Lance would come instead; but as it turned out, Arthur had asked Lance to stay behind and took the matter in his own hands. Yet Arthur had been trying to get him fired for weeks, so why would he defend him all of a sudden? It doesn't make sense at all, actually it's even worse when Merlin remembers how tensed Arthur was and how, for a flittering second after Cendred's disappearance, he had looked worried about Merlin.

That's why when Morgana asks him to give Arthur a pile of files before he leaves the office for the day, Merlin nearly has a nervous breakdown. And he grumbles all the way out of Morgana's office because he knows she's smiling too much to be innocent.

He knocks on Arthur door and waits for his answer with sweaty palms. When he's invited in, he tries to control his nervousness the best he can but he's already guessing it's a failure.

"Merlin?" Arthur sounds surprised and a little bit embarrassed to see him. Besides, he has used Merlin's first name, which he never does, which doesn't put Merlin at ease, not _at all_.

"Morgana asked me to bring you those." Merlin quickly crosses the room to put the files down on Arthur's desk.

He then turns around to go but then he hears Arthur's 'thanks' and freezes. He realizes he has not thanked him for stepping in the other night. He really doesn't want to stay in the room but now that he is aware of how rude he has been, there's no escaping. He sighs and turns around.

"I forgot to thank you for coming to my rescue." He declares hesitantly.

"Oh… I didn't resent you for it."

Merlin bites his bottom lip and nods another silent 'thank you'. There is then an awkward silence when they avoid each other's eyes because what is there to say when you can't pretend to hate each other anymore?

Thankfully or not, their awkward moment is broken when Uther Pendragon, the owner of the corporation and father of Arthur and Morgana, storms in Arthur's office. He doesn't bother to notice Merlin's presence and goes straight to his point:

"Why on earth did I not receive the second part of your report on the French?"

"I was going to send it to you, it slipped from my mind."

"It _slipped from your mind_? Do you want to keep this job, Arthur?"

"I'd prefer so." Arthur utters without looking at his father.

"Then do your job properly and stop making me look like a fool!" Uther shouts.

"I'm sorry, father."

Uther lets out an exasperated sigh but then, noticing his son's regrets, he softens his tone:

"You're going to Dublin to submit the plans of the new shopping center in less than two weeks, don't embarrass me there, is that clear?"

"Yes, father."

"Fine. Now, give me the end of your report on Paris." Uther commands, his hand reaching out already.

Arthur looks for it among all the files piled up on his desk and eventually gives it to his father who doesn't even make an effort to thank him.

"I want more efficient work next time." He declares before he storms out of the room.

Merlin stares at the door, still shocked by the scene that happened before his very eyes. For the first time since he's been working here, he gets a sense of why Morgana insists on telling Merlin that Arthur is not as bad as he thinks. Because really; if Arthur is a pain in the ass, his father is a plain _asshole_. Who would treat his own son as bad as this? Merlin feels sorry for Arthur freaking Pendragon and that's saying something.

"Sorry you had to witness that." Arthur breathes out.

"I'm kind of sorry I did too." Merlin retorts, uncomfortable.

That provokes a light smile on Arthur's lips but Merlin can tell he's not that much in the mood.

"Erm… Do you need help with the files?" He asks before he can regret it.

Arthur watches him intently, visibly taken aback.

"I mean, Morgana doesn't need me anymore today, Gwaine and Rosie are visiting their family, so I don't have anything to do tonight, and I'd figure, since you don't have an assistant, and I'm indebted to you, and these files are going to take you all night if you do it alone… Do you need help?" He concludes more rapidly because he's going to nervously ramble on more and more if he doesn't stop now.

Arthur seems dumbfounded for a minute but eventually finds his tongue again.

"I guess I could use some help." He confesses before he can really think about the consequences.

Merlin smiles sheepishly and Arthur gestures for him to take a seat next to him so that they can begin to work. The atmosphere is tensed and uncomfortable at first, but as the hour passes, they grow accustomed to each other's presence. Arthur even laughs a little at Merlin's clumsy attempts to joke.

When every file is sorted, silence falls on their truce and they're uncomfortable again.

Merlin clears his throat. "Erm, I think I'll call it a night."

"Yes, yes of course." Arthur agrees. "Thank you for your time, Merlin."

Merlin nods and gets up to put his coat on. He notices that Arthur doesn't get up; he deduces that the man is an obstinate hard-worker but after seeing Uther, Merlin can't blame him for that anymore.

He's on his way out when Arthur speaks again:

"See you tomorrow." He states.

Merlin is puzzled for a moment but eventually replies the same thing with a nod and a tentative smile.

Days later, he's still unsure as to what happened that night. The one thing he knows for certain is that they don't hate each other as much as they expected.

* * *

The week that follows, Morgana notices with a bright smile that her brother and Merlin are more cordial towards one another. Arthur doesn't make fun of Merlin anymore and Merlin isn't complaining about Arthur's behavior every day. They still don't speak much, but their truce is still tacitly valid.

Merlin finally admits it in front of Morgana on one of their break at the Starbuck's in front of the offices.

"'Told you you were misjudging him." Morgana chuckles.

"He can still be an ass; I didn't create the last month in my head." Merlin retorts.

Morgana laughs and gives Merlin a look that means she knows something he doesn't.

"You still have a lot to learn about him." She states mysteriously.

"You're enjoying this far more than you should."

"I confess."

"You should go on a date with Gwaine; he tends to enjoy torturing me as well."

Morgana laughs whole-heartedly and Merlin can't help but feel proud of himself, because Morgana seems to laugh a lot more these days.

"It didn't work with the last girl, eh?" She inquires.

"She wasn't so thrilled to discover Rosie's existence." Merlin answers with a shrug.

"Then I guess it's for the best."

"That's what we thought. But he's still asking me to go out with him every night to forget how single we are –which I'm fine with, but he's not."

"What about Rosie?"

"Gwen is always glad to play the nanny." Merlin smiles.

"I guess that explains why you've been so tired lately."

"I'm dreaming of the day I can have a night out with someone else than Gwaine. He's so… _heterosexual_." Merlin pouts to make his point and Morgana laughs a bit more.

"I would gladly rescue you but I'm going out myself tonight. Arthur's friend has finally gathered the courage to ask me out."

"Oh, that's interesting news!" Merlin cheers.

Morgana nods with a grin and finishes her cup of coffee.

"We should head back; I have a meeting with Arthur and my father in ten minutes." She declares, back to her serious bossy self.

Merlin agrees and they go back to the offices, relaxed by their friendly break.

* * *

Merlin is not allowed in the meeting room and can only stay in front of the door with a laptop, sending the emails Morgana asked him to write. He prefers staying out though. He still has real difficulties to tolerate Uther's presence. The man is incapable of mercy –or politeness for that matter.

He's still bored though, so he settles for texting Gwen. He also receives texts from Gwaine that annoy him to no end –but in a " _you-re-a-top-class-ass-but-you-re-my-friend-so-I-f orgive-you_ " kind of way.

* * *

**Merlin** : Booooored. This meeting is taking forever.

**Gwen** : Hold on, you'll get through it. :) Do I babysit Rosie tonight?

**Merlin** : I'd love to say no.

**Gwen** : Haha, Gwaine's still in his 'rebound' phase, isn't he?

**Merlin** : Gwaine's still in his 'ass' phase.

* * *

**Gwaine** : Hey, wingman, we're getting laid tonight!

**Merlin** : I've seen no "getting laid" so far, nor have you.

**Gwaine** : The ladies can't handle my sex appeal.

**Merlin** : I'm telling you, it's not just the ladies.

**Gwaine** : Feeling in love with me, Honey?

**Merlin** : You wish, Dumbass.

* * *

Merlin puts his phone back in his pocket when he hears the door opening and stands up. Morgana seems highly irritated and Merlin winces because it can't mean something good. Uther leaves the room after her, followed by his colleagues and Merlin glances in the room to see that Arthur is standing in front of the windows, seemingly thoughtful.

"I guess asking if it went well is not a good idea?" Merlin tries to joke.

"My father is a moron." Morgana groans. "I'm going home earlier than I intended; we'll face all the work he gave us tomorrow. You should do the same."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It's not, believe me. His greatest happiness is to find an amount of work ten men wouldn't accomplish in two weeks and to ask his own children to do it in a week."

"Ok, then I guess I will go and put back the computer in your office." Merlin sighs. "Do you need me to put anything else in there so that you can go now?"

Morgana gives him her files and thanks him before she bids him goodnight and goes off to the elevator.

Once in Morgana's office, Merlin puts down the files but can't resist picking at her notes. If he has to be suffocated by a mountain of work, he might as well get prepared.

When he discovers that Uther has ordered his children to prepare a simulation for a theme park, Merlin nearly faints. How on earth are they supposed to learn everything there is to learn in one week? There's no way they can make a proper report with so little time. And _really_? Theme Park?

"The Pendragon Corporation needs to explore new horizons every year." A voice answers his mental question.

Merlin is startled and turns around to find Arthur Pendragon leaning against the doorframe.

"Was I being so obvious?" Merlin smiles guiltily.

"If it reassures you, everyone was surprised."

"I didn't know your father knew what entertainment means." Merlin jokes.

Arthur offers him a small smile and enters the room.

"I'm looking for Morgana's files for Dublin; do you know where she put them?"

"Letter D." Merlin answers while he opens Morgana's cabinet to get the files.

Arthur thanks him and takes a quick glance in one of them to check if it's what he was looking for.

"Are you staying to work on your father's project?" Merlin boldly asks, out of the blue.

Arthur stares at him, his mouth agape for a second.

"Can I help?" Merlin insists.

"Are you trying to avoid something out there?" Arthur inquires with a smirk on his lips.

"Someone." Merlin grumbles.

There's something strange in Arthur's eyes for a second, but then it's gone and he's smiling again. Merlin sighs, because that smile means he has to tell the truth if he wants a chance to stay here.

"Gwaine wants to go out again and I don't want to play the wingman anymore." Merlin confesses under Arthur's curious gaze.

"Then I guess I could use some help." There's something in his voice that sounds like Arthur is making fun of him but Merlin decides to let it go because he's too happy to escape Gwaine's shenanigans.

They remain silent all the way to Arthur's office and Merlin texts Gwaine to warn him about the new situation –he's happier than he should be, really, but no one should have to bear with a drunken Gwaine for more than one week.

* * *

**Merlin** : Not coming home anytime soon, stuck at work. Go out without me.

**Gwaine** : Coward, you'll pay for this.

* * *

They've been intensely focused on their work for more than two hours when Merlin's stomach expresses his loud disapproval for the first time. Merlin blushes furiously as he catches Arthur's amused glance. They still could have resumed their work, if only Merlin's stomach hadn't been so stubborn.

"Don't say anything." Merlin growls, defensive.

"I wasn't going to." And it is clear in Arthur's voice that he's fighting his urge to laugh.

Merlin glares at him and tries to get back to work but he's disturbed by the feeling that Arthur is still eyeing him with a badly concealed smirk.

"Are you going to make fun of me all evening?" He sighs.

"Actually, I was going to suggest that we call it a night. I don't want to starve you to death."

"Haha, you're so funny."

"No one's stomach is that loud!" Arthur explodes, laughing shamelessly.

"There we go…" Merlin rolls his eyes.

He is starting to pack his things when Arthur speaks again:

"Don't get all touchy-feely. I'll buy you dinner."

"Oh, really?" Merlin mocks without even looking at him.

"Yeah, there's a fast-food in front of the building, it's open all night long."

Merlin freezes because Arthur is actually being serious. He stares at him, as if he was trying to decipher a particularly nasty equation, and he couldn't swear it, but it seems like Arthur flushes a little at one point.

Arthur coughs to hide his sudden embarrassment –of that Merlin is certain– and specifies his viewpoint:

"That is, if you're not afraid to dine with one of your bosses."

"I got drunk with Morgana last week." Merlin points out, sounding blasé.

Arthur nods and shuts down his computer before he takes his coat.

"Oh, we're going now?" Merlin doesn't dare to confess that he didn't think Arthur was a hundred per cent serious about it.

"It's not as if your stomach was going to let us forget we need to eat."

"How do you do that?" Merlin sounds exasperated.

"How do I do what?" Arthur asks while he opens the door of his office to get out.

"You're being nice and considerate and the next minute you're a complete ass."

"I suppose it comes naturally in your _utterly_ _polite_ presence." Arthur shoots back.

_Touché_.

But Merlin wouldn't give him this satisfaction so he chooses not to answer. And they exit the building in silence.

Merlin is thinking about how Gwaine wouldn't leave him alone for days if he learned he dined with Arthur freaking Pendragon.

And Arthur is already regretting his decision because he shouldn't let his guard down with Merlin Emrys of all people.

Once in the restaurant, they stare blankly at their meal and realize they hadn't thought out the entire process of dining together. Everything is awfully awkward and Arthur wishes he could runaway more than once... That is, until Merlin rolls his eyes and puts an end to their misery:

"We should insult each other, that'll keep us busy."

"Does that mean we get to talk about your dubious sense of humor?"

"Oh my God no! You're not allowed to criticize that, it's the only thing I've got!" Merlin jokes.

"What about that man the other night?" Arthur asks out of the blue, abruptly not laughing anymore.

Merlin avoids his gaze; he wasn't ready for this kind of questions from Arthur.

"It looked like you knew each other." Arthur insists.

"I'm not sure I should talk about Cendred with you." Merlin retorts.

"Do you prefer to be silently uncomfortable?"

"I won't give a good motive to fire me to the man who tried to have me fired for more than a month."

"Oh, is it that bad?"

Merlin rolls his eyes but doesn't bother to answer.

"Ok, I swear I won't use it to sack you." Arthur sighs.

"I didn't meet Gwaine in glorious circumstances." Merlin confesses. "I was meddling with all the wrong people and Cendred was one of them. I met Gwaine in a bar brawl, he kind of saved my life when Cendred would have left me for dead."

"You make it sound so serious."

"I spent two weeks in the hospital." Merlin replies. "After that, Gwaine made it his mission to convince me that I was worth more than I thought and I eventually left the streets."

Arthur nods, silently processing the information and finishes his drink before talking again:

"What did you do for Cendred?"

"You're outrageously curious." Merlin complains.

"Morgana told me there is more to you than meets the eye; I'm trying to prove her theory there." There's a small smile at the corner of Arthur's lips and Merlin can't help but yield.

"I carried packages to their destination. I never opened the packages because I was afraid of my morale standards and I needed the money."

"I have never been short of money. I have to admit I can't imagine what it must have felt like." There's some softness in Arthur's voice and Merlin catches a glimpse of the Arthur Morgana is so fond of.

However, the uncomfortable silence following his confession pushes Merlin towards the witty road again:

"Don't pity me, it could have been worse, I could have ended up as a stripper and Gwaine would have never found me –I may have had a more entertaining sex life though."

Arthur stares at him with round eyes, as if he's still hesitating between laughter and utter shock. He releases a breath he hadn't been conscious he was holding when Merlin bursts out laughing.

"I'm sorry but the look on your face is priceless." Merlin chuckles.

"We were being serious, I was unprepared." Arthur defends himself. "Do you really want us to discuss your sense of humor?"

"Nope, you're not allowed to talk about it. That's the one thing about me you're never gonna change." Merlin beams proudly.

"Fine, keep it." And it's Arthur's turn to roll his eyes. "Can we go out? I need to smoke –and if you tell me it's unhealthy or something annoying like that, I'm really going to fire you."

Merlin can't hide his smile because Arthur seems to have read his mind. He agrees to go out without saying anything –his eyes are saying it all anyway and it's enough to irritate Arthur.

"I never pictured you as a smoker." He confesses despite Arthur's warning.

"Try to have my father for a day." Arthur retorts without humor.

"I can't." Merlin admits. "But I don't have a father so you'll have to explain."

"Everyone has a father."

"Mine didn't get the memo then." Merlin shrugs.

"You've never seen him?"

Merlin crosses his arms on his chest, surprisingly thoughtful.

"To be honest, I might have memories of him, but those are probably made up. I was really young when he went missing."

"You don't know him at all?" Arthur sounds genuinely curious.

"I've seen a photograph or two. My mother used to tell me I have his eyes."

Arthur's gaze is lost in his eyes for some seconds, as if he is actually trying to imagine Merlin's father through the blue.

"But that's not as sad as you probably think." Merlin smiles gently. "For instance, when I see your dad, I don't blame mine for disappearing."

"He's not that bad."

"It's funny because Morgana told me the same thing about you."

"Oh really?" Arthur exhales the smoke with an amused grin. "And what do you think now?"

"I'm still trying to figure you out."

Merlin's serious look makes Arthur ill-at-ease, and he would never admit it but he does shudder at some point, lost in those damn eyes.

"And?" Arthur manages to utter, his voice low.

"You're an enigma." Merlin shrugs, joyful again.

"Is that a compliment?"

"Kind of. Depends on your prattish behavior."

"You're insufferable."

Merlin grins and nods his approval –because annoying Arthur is little by little becoming his favorite activity. That's partly why he reaches for Arthur's cigarette to crash it on the ground the next second, under Arthur's protests.

"You avoided my statement about your father by talking about mine. We talked about my life exclusively tonight; you owe me more information about you." Merlin declares.

"What do you want to know?" Arthur sounds exasperated but he's not as much as he wishes to be –Merlin is far more entertaining than he should be for Arthur's sake.

"Not tonight. I need some sleep before I can face the crazy project of your father."

"I'm not following you and Morgana to one of your coffee breaks."

"I wasn't going to ask you." Merlin smiles wickedly. "Actually, I'm inviting you to dinner."

Arthur nearly chokes to death and it takes him a moment to recover under Merlin's amused grin.

"Are you seriously asking me out?" He finally manages to voice.

Merlin chuckles and Arthur tries not to find him too attractive, because he is still shocked.

"Oh, I see, you inviting me to dinner tonight is not suspicious but when I do it, it's a date?" Merlin retorts. "Unless you want it to be a date?" There's something daring in Merlin's eyes that throws Arthur off.

"I have a girlfriend."

"Good for you." Merlin shrugs, unaffected.

"You're bloody weird." Arthur can't help but say out loud.

"Tomorrow night, 7pm, here. Don't try to decline, you don't have a choice."

Arthur is on the verge of protesting but Merlin is already walking backwards.

"Good night, Arthur." He cheers with a silly wave of his hand.

He disappears before Arthur's clumsy attempt at replying.

* * *

**_Part 6_ **

"Oh for Christ's sake, Morgana, I hated the guy a week ago!" Arthur complains for the hundredth time. "I can't possibly go to dinner with him, that's… _weird_."

Morgana rolls her eyes and keeps on exercising her legs.

"Do you mean a 'I've got a girlfriend and I'm in denial of my sexuality' kind of weird or a 'I will look desperate if I jump on the first occasion to spend time with the guy I secretly have a crush on' kind of weird?"

"That's bullshit." Arthur growls. "Why am I telling this to you of all people?"

"Yeah, you're right. Both cases apply to you."

Arthur turns around to send her a murderous glare before he resumes his angry pacing. That doesn't stop Morgana from laughing while she gets back to her armchair.

"I'm not going. I can't do that."

"You're such a _girl_." Morgana mocks. "He just invited you to dine with him, he didn't propose. Guys can go out without the entire world screaming "gay" in their faces."

"I know that, thank you very much. I'm not stupid."

"Oh, really?"

Arthur scowls at her and lets himself fall on her bed. Morgana sighs and opens her wardrobe to find an outfit for the day.

"You're overanalyzing this, Arthur." She eventually declares. "You like Merlin, don't you?"

"I'm ignoring you, and that question." He sulks.

"Let me put it differently: are you enjoying his company?"

Arthur gives her another dirty look but remains silent, irritated.

"He could become a good friend, and you know it." She insists.

"I already have plenty of friends."

"Name three of them –and I don't count." She smirks when he winces.

"Leon, Percival… and…" He then struggles in an unintelligible moan.

"Don't make this harder than it is, brother dear; you could use someone like Merlin in your life. This boy is a wonder and I'm looking forward to seeing him every day. Now grow up and help me get in this dress."

Arthur grumbles but obeys anyway… The things he'll do for his sister.

* * *

"I'm telling you, I'm not doing this."

"Oh my God, Arthur, are you going to shut up about Merlin at one point? It's not even 8am yet." Morgana sounds exhausted. "You like him –don't argue, you know you do. If you don't want a relationship with him, that's fine, you'll live; but you can be friends. Gay and horny are not bloody synonyms."

"You are almost as infuriating as him. You were the one trying to know why I looked upset. I'm never talking to you about this kind of stuff again."

"I asked you why you were upset, I wasn't planning on playing the role of your therapist." She snaps.

Arthur sighs heavily because this is ridiculous and he didn't get any sleep last night. Damn Merlin Emrys.

"This week couldn't get worse." He eventually utters, hiding his face behind his hands.

"Remind me again, how old are you?"

"This is not funny, Morgana. I didn't need to worry about that above everything else."

"Worry about what, Arthur? You're seeing too much into this. For all we know, Merlin may not even be interested in you in that way. Now, I have a job, you have job, why don't we work together?" She smirks while leaving the elevator.

"Still not funny!" Arthur shouts after her.

She chuckles and takes the direction of her office, happy to observe that her world is not the only one to have been turned upside down by Merlin. However, from what she's seen, he's definitely worth it.

* * *

"You seriously asked him out?" Gwen nearly shrieks in the phone.

"I did not exactly _ask him out_." Merlin rectifies, rolling his eyes. "I believe he may not be as bad as I thought he was, and I'm curious. So I suggested that we eat in a _fast-food_ together so that we can talk." He enhances the fast-food bit because even Gwen can't find something romantic about a fast-food. "Besides, I'm merely being polite, he invited me last night."

"He _WHAT_?" This time, she does shriek.

Merlin winces and rubs his ear, putting the phone to his other ear.

"We were working late and my stomach growled. So he made fun of it and paid me dinner, there's no big deal."

Gwen remains silent for a while on the other side of the line and Merlin can't suppress a laugh because he knows her by heart:

"You're doing the happy dance, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She retorts with a smile in her voice.

"I'm not trying to seduce him."

"Oh, you're clearly not." She mocks.

"I'll grant you that he may be attractive in a certain light, but that's not enough of a redeeming feature to impress me."

"'Attractive in a certain light'? God, Merlin, he's smoking _hot_."

"You're married!"

"And you single!" She retorts.

"I can't have a job _and_ a boyfriend. You can't fix everything in my life. I have to be bad at something." He protests.

He can practically hear Gwen rolling her eyes.

"Besides, he's one of my bosses. I'd have to choose between my job and the prat."

"You thought about it, didn't you?"

Merlin flushes even if she can't see him.

"No?" He tentatively replies, ill-at-ease.

"So we're going to ignore the fact that you're going on an almost date with the hottest potential boyfriend you've ever laid eyes on?"

"He's straight."

"That's just a theory."

"He has a girlfriend."

"You had one."

"I was in denial."

"He could be too."

"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" Merlin sighs.

"Why don't you try?"

"I'm not trying anything, Gwen. I invited him on a genuine spur of the moment, I wasn't seeing this as a master plan to get him in my bed –and don't misinterpret that sentence!"

"If Gwaine…"

"Do you value our friendship?"

"Fine, but this is blackmail." She yields.

"It's not as if blackmail and you weren't old friends. I'm entering Morgana's office now, talk to you tomorrow."

"Tell her I said 'hi'!"

Merlin agrees before he hangs up. He gives Morgana her coffee and reports Gwen's words before he goes to his desk. Because he's decided to have a normal day.

"We're going to ignore the fact that you gave my brother a mental breakdown with your invitation, aren't we?" Morgana asks without raising her head from the file she's reading.

"I'm going to have a bad day, aren't I?" Merlin echoes.

Morgana snickers but adds nothing and they both get back to work.

* * *

**Merlin** : That was the worst day ever.

**Gwaine** : Does it have something to do with you dating the prat?

**Merlin** : I see Gwen didn't learn how to SHUT UP

**Gwaine** : Haha, I'm too skilled for her! Good luck mate.

**Merlin** : I don't need luck. I'm going to a fst-food. The best I can get from tonight is food poisoning.

**Gwaine** : Looks kinky.

**Merlin** : It's because everything looks kinky with you.

**Gwaine** : That's so going to be my new facebook status!

* * *

Merlin sighs; he feels so frustrated because his friends are not supportive in the way he'd like them to be. What was an innocent and fun idea has now become as stressful as meaningful.

Yes, Arthur Pendragon does look smoking hot.

Yes, Merlin finds him bloody attractive.

Yes, Merlin kind of likes their banter.

Yes, Arthur Pendragon is a prat.

Yes, Merlin doesn't mind that much because yes, Arthur Pendragon is also very nice when he wants to.

… Yes, Merlin is screwed.

* * *

It's 7.30 pm and Merlin's heart is still hesitating between relief and gloom. It's much simple if Arthur doesn't show up; he doesn't have to overthink everything anymore. However, there's a tiny bit in him that would have enjoyed his company. Merlin has always been curious and Arthur is no exception. Besides, no one likes being stood up.

He settles for dining here anyway –even if he's alone– so he asks for a bier. He doesn't text his friends to let them know, because he doesn't want them to feel sorry when, really, there's nothing to feel sorry for.

"Aren't you going to wait for me?" A familiar voice interrupts his pity party.

Merlin can't hide the smile that creeps on his lips and he raises his eyes to find Arthur's.

"I apologize for my unpunctuality, I was being held hostage by my father's assistant. I would have sent you a message but I don't have your phone number."

"Apologies accepted." Merlin grins and gestures for him to take a seat.

Arthur smiles and sits in front of Merlin, utterly uncomfortable but glad to have found the courage to come. They both command something to eat while talking about their mutual day with little interest –because it's a safe subject.

They eventually fall in a civil conversation in which they speak about everything and nothing at the same time. They don't say much about themselves but again, it's safer. Somewhere along the way, Merlin is surprised to catch Arthur's intense gaze on him when he thinks he's not watching, but since he's pretty sure he's been ogling the man since the beginning of their dinner, he doesn't dare to joke about it.

Arthur reveals himself to be good company when he's not behaving like a jerk. He's clever, funny and Merlin could forget he's a bit of bully quite easily if he didn't know better.

Of course, they disagree on almost everything. They don't have the same taste in music, nor in movies or TV shows –except for Doctor Who, but then, who doesn't? (But even on this particular subject they manage to disagree. Arthur's favorite Doctor will always be Tennant whereas Merlin's sticking up for Smith all the way.) Arthur likes dogs, Merlin loves cats. Arthur prefers salted meal when Merlin really loves dessert. Nevertheless, there's not a moment when one of them gets bored and time flies by.

"What about seasons?" Merlin asks, bringing his legs on the seat.

"I love fall." Arthur replies after a sip of his bier. "Let me guess, you hate fall and it's your least favorite season of all."

"You couldn't have been more wrong. I actually love fall."

"Wait, does this mean we actually agree on something?"

"I guess it does." Merlin grins from ear to ear.

"Let's drink to that."

"I know the perfect pub for this. Come on, let's get out of here."

Arthur doesn't hesitate a second before he follows Merlin out of the restaurant but after all, he has already drunk some biers and Merlin is entertaining.

They end up in a small dusky pub with rock songs in the background.

"You were supposed to tell me more about you, remember?" Merlin eventually asks.

"There's nothing to say about me."

"You're not playing fair. I told you about Cendred and my father. You owe me two pieces of information." Merlin bargains.

Arthur sighs and stares in his glass.

"Fine, my mother died when I was very young."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's ok; you can't miss someone you didn't really know." Arthur shrugs. "She's part of the reason why my dad behaves like an ass. His wounds never healed, he's been grief-stricken ever since… But he did raise us up, me and Morgana."

"I'll grant him that Morgana didn't turn out all that bad." Merlin smirks.

Arthur sends him a fake death glare.

"Ok, that's one piece of information." Merlin resumes.

"Are you joking? I just shared two of them. I told you about both my parents."

"Ok, if I talk to you about my mother, can I ask you a question?"

"Depends if I want to answer the question."

"Why do you have a cabinet filled with snow globes?"

"Ha, you've noticed them, haven't you?" Arthur smiles mysteriously, nonetheless surprised by Merlin's attention to details. "I inherited this habit from my childhood." He then confesses. "My father used to go on business trips abroad, back when he started to expand the company worldwide. He always brought us souvenirs from the cities he visited and most of them were snow globes. He told me it was because my mother's favorite story involved two lovers trapped in two different snow globes forever. She found it very sad and decided then to buy all the snow balls she saw with the hope that one day, she'd find the lovers and could reunite them." Arthur pauses, memories clearly replaying in his mind before he concludes: "When I started to travel myself, I began buying these silly things. Oddly enough, I feel closer to her each time I buy one."

"That's kind of beautiful."

"I don't know what it is. I just know I have an enormous amount of those things and I never found the other lover."

"Does that mean you found one?"

"For my eighteenth birthday, Morgana asked somebody to make one with a man inside. She then told me I had the first half of the puzzle."

Merlin smiles fondly. "Thank you."

Arthur questions him silently, puzzled, and that only makes Merlin's smile grows.

"Thank you for sharing this story with me."

"You're welcome. I do need to kill you very soon though."

"Wouldn't want anybody to discover that you have a heart, now would we?" Merlin teases.

"I have a reputation to keep."

"Then why are you here?"

Arthur gasps, surprised by Merlin's bluntness. Suddenly, the light tone of their conversation has disappeared. And it's not a safe place anymore for Arthur.

He settles on playing dumb, because there's no other way out: "What do you mean?"

Merlin sighs, relieved. He has never planned on saying that kind of things. It could be good to have Arthur around as a friend -as odd as it sounds even to him- and this kind of blunt honesty is definitely not the way to do it.

"Anyway," Arthur clears his throat, "You're not as bad company as I expected. You're still inappropriate and too honest, but I guess that's part of what Morgana saw in you. Her favorite part of the day is when she gets to annoy me to no end."

"Is there a compliment hidden in there somewhere?"

"You'll never know." Arthur grins. "Thank you for the evening, Merlin."

"Going so soon?" They both rise from their seat with the intention to go out.

"I have to get up early tomorrow morning. I have a plane to catch."

"Oh, right. The Dublin case."

"Bravo, you were actually listening." Arthur mocks.

Merlin fakes his annoyance and puts his hands in his jacket's pockets.

"How long will you be gone?" Merlin asks.

"A week at most. Depends on the development of the project."

Merlin nods; he has no idea of what he's supposed to say now. If it were a date, he would have hugged him –maybe. If it were just a night out with a friend, he would have waved at him with a beam. But he's not sure about Arthur's place in his life. He is indeed his boss, but on a more personal level, Merlin doesn't know how to qualify him. Arthur's full of contraries, attractive but bloody annoying, nice for a minute and then behaving like a prat. And frankly, Merlin has never met someone quite that complicated before. He knows how to deal with most of his friends, but Arthur is rather unique. Not really a friend, definitely not a nemesis anymore.

"See you in a week then?" Merlin suggests.

"Sure." Arthur nods. "Don't get fired before I get back."

"I won't, you'd be too happy."

Arthur chuckles and holds out his hand to Merlin who shakes it just a bit longer than he would have if he were certain about their apparent friendship.

They go on their separate ways awkwardly, both plagued by the same troubled thoughts and uncertainty.

* * *

**_Part 7_ **

Merlin has just closed the door of his flat when his phone buzzes. He suspects Gwen is trying to extort news from him and smiles. However, his smile changes when he reads the text.

* * *

**Unknown** : In case I should be late again, here's my number. Thanks for taking my mind off too many things. X – Arthur

* * *

A second later, a voice in the dark makes him jump: "Was your date ok?"

"Oh my God, Gwaine!" Merlin whispers furiously. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"I was going for the scary parent impression. Was it good?"

Merlin rolls his eyes and gets rid of his shoes without answering.

"What about the date?" Gwaine insists.

"There was no date."

"I take it he didn't gather the courage to kiss you. How sad…"

"That's not funny."

"It is, you should see this scene with my eyes."

"I don't ever want to be in your head."

"Don't change the subject, love. Why did the Pendragon guy freak out?"

"There was nothing to freak out about, we're not even friends. We were just being polite and trying to know each other instead of mentally ripping each other's head off on a daily basis."

"That's quite a revised speech you've got here. I take it the text you received a minute ago wasn't from him then?"

"It was from Gwen." Merlin instantly lies.

"Prove it." Gwaine smirks.

"This is none of your business. I'm going to bed."

"Admit it already Merlin, you like him."

Merlin sighs but doesn't answer. He closes the door on Gwaine's victorious face and faces his empty room. He cannot help but reread Arthur's text. Because it's sweet and thoughtful, because it's the Arthur he could indeed fall for if he weren't cautious…

There's no going back now, isn't it?

* * *

Merlin's week is a busy one. Morgana has given him so much work he has to stay in the office later than usual. She keeps him company with her own amount of work. They don't take much of their coffee breaks but when they do, Morgana is her usual self. Teasing Merlin about Arthur and making fun of Merlin's odd behavior is the basis of their interactions but he doesn't bother fighting her. Morgana seems genuinely happy and it looks like it wasn't a daily occurrence before, so he lets her be.

The best –and weirdest– part of his week has been entirely different though. He and Arthur have been exchanging texts. What has been a pure spur of the moment text on Tuesday has now become a daily routine. They don't say much, they bicker most of the time, but Merlin is always checking his phone ever since Arthur's first answers.

* * *

_Tuesday_

**Merlin** : I'm doing overtime even when you're not in the building. Morgana should have let you fire me. This job is eating my soul.

**Arthur** : Tell me about it. I'm just out of the last meeting of the day and I still have a business dinner ahead of me.

**Merlin** : Do you ever have fun?

**Arthur** : I'm a grown up man with responsibilities.

**Merlin** : Did you even read what you wrote before you pressed send? Or did you forget who you were sending this text to?

**Arthur** : Sorry, my mistake. I forgot I was talking to someone with the brain of a 3 years old.

**Merlin** : You're a prat, you know that?

**Arthur** : Have a nice evening, Idiot.

* * *

_Wednesday_

**Arthur** : Tell Morgana we have a possible theme park in Dublin as well.

**Merlin** : You tell her, she's your sister.

**Arthur** : Yes, but she won't scream at you.

**Merlin** : Are you afraid of your sister?

**Arthur** : You're useless Merlin.

**Merlin** : When did I ever say I wanted to be useful?

**Merlin** : Also: you're a prat.

* * *

Merlin enjoys this new daily routine, he really does. But it's somewhat still weird to think of Arthur as a friend. There's a strange connection between them, he has to recognize it, but that doesn't mean he gets the meaning of it.

That's what eventually convinces him to talk to Gwen when she takes him out to dinner on Wednesday.

He prefers to remain cautious, though. He can't have a wild, blissful Gwen happy dancing around and telling everybody about his doubts.

"If I talk to you about Arthur, can you promise you won't overreact?"

And there it is, in her eyes, the happy dance is burning her skin already. However, as the good friend she is, she holds back her scream of delight and nods excitedly.

"I don't know what's happening." Merlin sighs. "I don't know where he stands; gosh, I don't even know where _I_ stand. We've been texting and it's nice and funny but I'm still unable to see him as a friend. I mean, we could be friends, sure, but there's this bloody nagging thought at the back of my mind, telling me that we could be so much more than that and, urgh, can't it shut up already?"

"The nagging thought has my voice, huh?" Gwen grins.

"Disturbingly so, yes." Merlin manages to smile.

"Why don't you give it a go?"

"He has a girlfriend, Gwen. He's supposed to be heterosexual."

"The key-word here is ' _supposed_ '."

"No, the key-word is ' _girlfriend'_. I can't try and ruin the guy's couple on the assumption that maybe I could endanger his sexuality. You know me, I'm the good guy."

"You mean the one who never gets the guy because he refuses to fight for him?" Gwen's voice is a bit reproachful.

"That's unfair, you don't get to use Will against me!" Merlin whines.

Gwen sighs but apologies nonetheless; she knows how hurt Merlin had been.

"Have you talked to Morgana about it?" Gwen asks.

"She has other fish to fry."

"I'm sure she could help. She's his sister after all."

"You know what? That's stupid of me, really. I can be his friend; I can overcome the weird stuff. I just need some time and he'll get in my friend zone."

"What if he doesn't want to?"

"You sincerely think that Arthur Pendragon could come out of the closet for me if I don't encourage him? I'm pretty sure he wouldn't, even if encouraged. Besides, I'm not even certain I have this sort of feelings for him. I just acknowledged an attraction."

Gwen nods, suddenly thoughtful, but then Merlin decides it's time to change the subject. She respects his desire –for now, because this conversation is far from over.

* * *

_Thursday_

**Merlin** : Gwaine & Rosie came by the office this morning. Rosie wants me to say hi since you weren't here. (FYI she was disappointed.)

**The Prat** : That's sweet. Tell her 'hi back' for me, will you?

**Merlin** : Of course that's sweet; I'm partly responsible for her education. :)

**The Prat** : You can't see me, but I'm rolling my eyes at you right now.

**Merlin** : Going back to work, talk to you soon, Prince Arthur…

**The Prat** : Have you ever been funny once in your life?

* * *

"Arthur said hi back." Merlin announces to Rosie as soon as he's home.

"Does that mean you're friends now?" The little girl asked, curious.

"I suppose we are –kind of."

Rosie nods with a huge grin.

"That's super awesome. Can he come here?"

Merlin almost chokes on his juice.

He settles for the safe answer, ignoring the scary thoughts of Arthur in this flat. "We're not that kind of friends yet."

"Oh…" Rosie sounds utterly disappointed. "Will you be soon?"

"You've seen the guy once, why the obsession?" Merlin sighs.

"He's a prince! I love princes."

"He's more of a royal prat if you ask me." Merlin grumbles.

"Royal is good. Princes are royal." Rosie states, stubborn.

"Don't you have homework to do?"

"A little help?" Rosie automatically asks.

Merlin smiles fondly because they both know he would never refuse. He's the one who can't say no to her and she is fully aware of it.

* * *

**Arthur** : Are you asleep?

**Merlin** : This is the most stupid text EVER.

**Arthur** : Well, you answered, didn't you?

**Merlin** : …

**Arthur** : Morgana didn't answer. She's sleeping.

**Merlin** : Are these texts going somewhere?

**Arthur** : I just wanted to wake you up.

**Merlin** : Clotpole.

**Arthur** : No one swears like that anymore, grandpa.

**Merlin** : Do you need a story before you go to sleep? I know one involving a poor young man harassed by his restless boss, would you want to hear it?

**Arthur** : Still not funny.

**Merlin** : That's because I wasn't joking.

**Arthur** : Thank you, Merlin.

**Merlin** : Why are you thanking me?

**Arthur** : I had a bad day.

**Merlin** : And I being mean to you made it better?

**Arthur** : Ha! You admitted that you're mean!

**Merlin** : And you changed the subject!

**Arthur** : Good night, Merlin. X

**Merlin** : Good night, Coward. xo

* * *

Merlin is regretting the "x ** _o_** " part the whole following day; it was a stupid impulse, really. But he can't take it back. He talks to Gwen about it and all she does is laughing and calling him an idiot for thinking this is such a huge problem. He does realize at some point that she's not wrong. He tends to overreact at times.

"Do you know what you're going to do about all this when he gets back?" Gwen inquires at some point.

"I don't have a clue." Merlin sighs. "I suppose I won't do anything. I'll just go with whatever he presents me."

"So if he decides not to act upon the attraction, you won't either?"

"Oh really Gwen, _attraction_?" Merlin is rolling his eyes just thinking of it.

"Well, call it as you like, but you're not innocent."

"Maybe he is."

"You know that conversation is getting old." She sighs, exasperated.

"You're right, why don't we talk about going out this week-end?"

Gwen chuckles and leans back in Merlin's couch. As always when they spend some time together, the TV is on but neither of them is really watching. She has come as soon as Merlin has told her he'd woken up with a sore throat, because she's nice like that. She has brought enough medicine to cure a horse and that's a relief for Merlin who really needs to get back on his feet quickly. He can't let Morgana work alone for more than one morning; he doesn't want her to overwork.

"You're sick." Gwen points out in a deadpan tone.

"I'll be better by Sunday."

"Going out on a Sunday?" She asks, skeptical.

"Just a dinner out. It's been a while since I've seen Lance, and Morgana could use a night out –me too to be honest."

"I'll talk to Lance about it but I think it could be a good idea. You should invite Arthur too."

Merlin groans. "Did you say yes just for that?"

"No, but I still think it's a good idea."

Merlin mumbles something unintelligible but he knows that the worse is done. He will feel guilty if he doesn't invite Arthur.

"Maybe he won't be back by Sunday though."

"You sounded awfully hopeful." Gwen chuckles.

"Gwaine is gonna be horrible, I just know it. And I'm pretty sure Arthur would annoy me to no end by trying to impress everyone. That's like your worst idea ever."

"You're being overdramatic."

"Am not. I've hated the guy for a month. I know how insufferable he can be."

"You were misjudging him."

"Try not to misjudge someone who tries to fire you on a daily basis." Merlin retorts with a death glare.

"But he's not trying anymore. Maybe you weren't the only one misjudging."

"You're the most annoying friend I've ever had, do you know that?"

"Why? What did I do?" She laughs.

"You're always finding excuses for the others. Sometimes people are just bad, you know?"

"Arthur isn't."

"And you're never wrong, that's just so annoying! You're surreal, no one is that perfect!"

Gwen bursts out laughing, genuinely surprised by Merlin's outbreak.

"I'm not kidding. You're a saint!" Merlin insists.

"And you're overreacting."

"Maybe. Still. Bloody unfair."

Gwen laughs and puts her hand on his forehead to check if he has a fever.

"You should be ok for this afternoon." She announces. "I'll leave the pain-killers."

"Do you really think I should invite him along?" Merlin asks, nearly out of the blue.

She grins proudly because she knows she has won the argument.

"I think it'd be nice to meet him. And from what you said, he seems like he could use a night out."

"Ok, right, you win. I'll ask him."

Merlin sounds exasperated when really, she has not harassed him.

* * *

_Friday_

**Merlin** : When are you coming back?

**Arthur** : In two days. Why?

**Merlin** : I'm having a night out with Morgana and my friends on Sunday night. Care to join?

**Arthur** : I'd love to.

**Merlin** : Is there a 'but' somewhere?

**Arthur** : I'm being cautious, just in case I can't make it back in London in time.

**Merlin** : So you'll come.

**Arthur** : Gladly, if I'm allowed to.

* * *

_Sunday_

When Arthur catches sight of Morgana in the terminal, he offers her a bright smile, surprised to find her here. He has not reached her yet when she lifts herself up from her wheelchair and he gasps. She is standing up proudly on both her feet. She beams at him before she loses her balance and he rushes towards her to catch her in his arms.

She smiles nonetheless: "It's not perfect yet, but I can stand."

"I'm pretty sure you'll kick my ass again in no time now." Arthur jokes while he helps her to get back in the chair.

She puts on a grateful grin and they both take the direction of the way out.

"I'm glad you made it in time for tonight's dinner." Morgana tells him when they're in the car supposed to bring them to Arthur's place. "They're all so nice, you'll love them."

"Oh, yeah, about that…" Arthur mumbles, suddenly uncomfortable.

"God, don't tell me you're backing down." Morgana is already lamenting.

"I'm not, but I've got a bit of a dilemma. I'm supposed to see Mithian tonight. I haven't seen her in more than a week and she made it known that she's not happy with me."

Morgana scowls, she has never loved Arthur's girlfriends and it sounds like she's not gonna like Mithian either. She never understood what he saw in them.

"Then take her with you. I'm sure Merlin's friends would understand." She utters, staring at the window to manifest her discontentment nonetheless.

"I'll text him, just to be sure."

"Yeah, right."

"Don't be like that, Mithian is nice." Arthur protests.

"I'm sure she is perfect in every way."

"Don't patronize me."

Morgana pouts but doesn't add anything else. She doesn't want to push Arthur too far, she actually wants him to come to dinner, even if it means one of his idiotic girlfriends is gonna tag along.

* * *

****

**_Part 8_ **

Waiting for the last guests –Arthur and his girlfriend, Merlin feels highly uncomfortable and nervous. He would have been nervous even if Arthur was coming alone, but he's even more uncomfortable now that he knows that Arthur is bringing his girlfriend to their gathering.

He catches Gwen and Morgana's amused glances since they are sitting in front of him; but he chooses to ignore them and fakes an interest for Lance and Gwaine's conversation. He wouldn't be able to tell what they're talking about though.

When at last the couple arrives, Merlin doesn't know how to react anymore. Morgana makes the introduction and Arthur smiles politely to everyone –he does wink at Rosie when she cheers him from Morgana's lap.

He sits beside Merlin and holds out his hand to him.

"Nice to see you haven't gotten yourself fired." Arthur teases when Merlin takes his hand for a brief second –he has learnt his lesson.

"I thought you'd like to do it yourself, I was waiting for you to come back." Merlin jokes back, more easily than he would have thought.

"Nice to meet you at last Mithian," Morgana interrupts. "I was beginning to wonder if you were real. Arthur has been hiding you so well."

Merlin notices Arthur's death glare to his sister and cannot help but smile a little because a surge of friendly feelings for Morgana invades him.

"Well, here I am." Mithian nervously answers with a tentative smile.

"Don't pay attention to my sister; she's always been jealous of my love life." Arthur intervenes.

Morgana is about to answer something witty and highly inappropriate, Merlin can tell after all this time spent with her. Unfortunately, Gwen decides to come to the rescue of the poor Mithian and engages her in a conversation.

Gwaine and Lance then question Arthur about his taste in sport and the awkward moment is over.

* * *

Merlin hates the idea, but Mithian is actually really nice. Besides, the brunette is as pretty as friendly –which doesn't make it easy to hate her just for the sake of it. The only comforting thought he has had tonight is the idea that Morgana seems as disappointed as he is. Mithian is the poster girl for perfect girlfriend of the year. She is clever and funny and Merlin couldn't wish her bad things even if he wanted too. She's been respectful even when Morgana tried to push her buttons –Arthur had been too caught up in his chat with Rosie to notice. The little girl had settled on his lap from the beginning of their dinner, asking him all sorts of weird questions.

Towards dessert, Merlin's discomfort comes back when Gwaine speaks about his ex-girlfriend who left him for Merlin's ex-boyfriend. He would have preferred it if Gwaine could shut up for once but Gwaine has never been one to satisfy Merlin's wishes. Besides, Gwaine loves complaining almost as much as Merlin.

He doesn't dare looking elsewhere that at his hands that are rummaging nervously in his lap. He can already feel Gwen's sorry gaze on him, because she knows how it still hurts a little to think about Will. And to be honest, he's afraid of Arthur's reaction. That is, until Arthur's right hand discreetly catches one of his moving hands under the tablecloth, as if to appease him. He shudders violently and prays that no one saw him. He doesn't glance in Arthur's direction, his eyes frozen on Arthur's hand still engulfing his.

"I would have destroyed the man weren't it for Merlin." Gwaine continues, oblivious to Merlin's discomfort. "The guy had crashed both our love lives and Saint Merlin managed to forgive him somehow and held me back when I could have punched him in the face."

"You should have punched the girl instead." Morgana mocks.

"Merlin was against that too." Gwaine regrets.

"Why don't we leave the story behind us and enjoy our evening?" Gwen suddenly declares.

"I was just saying how nice Merlin was. He has never hurt anyone, never will."

"The compliment was well hidden under your grief." Lance replies.

"That's nothing really." Gwaine shrugs. "Still bitter, that's all. But we're good, aren't we Merlin?"

"Yes we are." Merlin utters quietly, because he's used to Gwaine having less compassion than an apple.

He doesn't do it consciously, but that's part of Merlin's secret 'reasons why my best friend is an ass' list.

Merlin feels Arthur's thumb stroking his hand a little before he lets go and goes back to his conversation with his girlfriend as if nothing strange happened.

Nearly two hours later, upon seeing Rosie yawning copiously, Gwaine declares it's time for them to go home and Merlin agrees, quickly followed by the others. Arthur and Morgana insist on paying the bill and the others eventually let them –they're two of the wealthiest people of the country after all.

Once outside, it's a cacophony of goodbyes and Merlin finds himself facing Mithian.

She smiles gently in his direction. "It was nice meeting you at last, Merlin. I've been hearing a lot about you lately."

"Oh, thanks." Merlin nods uncomfortably. "Nice meeting you too." He clumsily mumbles to avoid being uncivil.

Mithian acquiesces and turns towards Gwen with a fond smile. However, Merlin doesn't have time to sigh in relief, because the last person he has to say goodbye to, Arthur, is now holding out his hand to him –that's becoming a habit. Merlin hesitates; he is still thinking of Arthur's hand during dinner, but it will be even more awkward if he doesn't reciprocate Arthur's gesture so he eventually puts his hand in Arthur's.

They don't utter a word and avoid each other's gaze before they go on their separate way.

Merlin has nearly reached Gwaine's car when he can't take it anymore and he turns back to see in which direction Arthur and Mithian are going. He catches sight of them towards the restaurant's parking lot; Mithian is leaning against Arthur who has his arm around her waist. Merlin feels ridiculously jealous and that's another clue to add to the 'I'm screwed' list.

He gets in Gwaine's car quietly and keeps his eyes focused on his hands.

That's how he misses Arthur's glance in his direction.

* * *

"I'm _soooo_ disappointed." Morgana whines on Monday's break, after taking a sip of her latte. "I love making fun of Arthur's dumb girlfriends and being mean to them, but this one is a miss perfect. That's even more insufferable. When did he learn how to pick up decent girls?"

"Don't look at me; I'm the one who hated his guts until recently." Merlin replies, holding out his hands in defense.

"Things are not going according to my agenda, and I don't like it."

Merlin can't help but chuckle at that. That's just like Morgana to have plans for everything and everyone in her life.

"Your brother is a grown-up man; he can take care of himself."

"Trust me Merlin; you don't want to have that conversation about my brother's love life." Morgana retorts, dead serious.

Merlin catches something in Morgana's gaze that puts him highly ill-at-ease. He has a feeling that he won't like what she has to say on the subject and decides to take her advice.

"What did you think about last night's dinner, if we forget about Mithian for a bit?" He safely inquires.

Morgana's face lights up immediately. "Gwen is adorable, I love her dearly. Lance is a perfect match for her by the way, discreet and sweet… Oh, but your friend Gwaine is a top-class ass."

"Gwaine's not that bad." Merlin defends his friend. "He just can't keep his mouth shut and that's why he always says the most inappropriate things. But he's actually a teddy bear."

"Arthur asked me if I knew something about Will." Morgana cuts in.

Merlin freezes.

"I thought you didn't want to talk about your brother?"

"Well, I wanted to share the information with you." Morgana smirks. "I told him you never mentioned him before, which is true. How come I don't know anything about this Will?"

"I didn't think it was relevant to mention him." Merlin shrugs.

"He sounded like he broke your heart."

"He did, but that's in the past."

"Who was he?"

Merlin cuts short to the conversation: "I don't want to talk about it, Morgana."

His tone leaves no space to discussion and Morgana looks puzzled.

"I'm sorry." Merlin says. "You're my friend but I don't want to talk about him. If you want to know the story, ask my friends. They all know it by heart."

"I didn't want to upset you." Morgana apologizes.

"You didn't, let's not talk about that."

Morgana approves even if she's even more curious and surprised. But their break is drawing to an end and she actually values Merlin's friendship enough to respect his wish –for now.

* * *

**_Merlin Emrys_ ** _: 2 months and I still have the same job, yay!_

_Gwen DuLac, Morgana Pendragon, and 8 others like this._

**Arthur Pendragon** : Don't brag about it, I can make you change that status fairly quickly…

**Merlin Emrys** : You're just jealous because you weren't invited to the party last night.

**Arthur Pendragon** : You invited me, you idiot.

**Merlin Emrys** : You didn't come; who's the idiot now?

**Arthur Pendragon** : I had a date with paperwork.

**Merlin Emrys** : Sounds hot.

**Arthur Pendragon** : Of course it does, it's me we're talking about.

**Gwaine Lawrence** : Have you two ever heard of hotel rooms?

* * *

Merlin can't actually believe that it's been two months and he still has a job, the same boring one at that. It seems unreal.

His relationship with Arthur is still a bit awkward at times and the blond is still not in his friend zone despite his best efforts. They have spent several evenings working and eating in what is now (kind of) their fast-food –just like the Starbuck's is his and Morgana's place. And they still text each other –a lot.

But Arthur is still dating Mithian and Merlin is still clueless –and jealous.

Yet Gwen is still convinced that Merlin has a chance, and he really wishes she could stop fueling his pointless hopes.

And Arthur doesn't make it easier when he invites him for a drink like he just did three hours ago when they crossed paths in the corridor. Merlin gets the whole ' _making it up to you because I couldn't be there last night_ ' bit, but he can't possibly understand the need to say things like that with a hand on Merlin's back each time they're getting out of somewhere (or in a room for that matter).

So when Gwaine calls him to say he has to stay at work because there's an emergency and things are messy, Merlin doesn't know if he's relieved or disappointed to have to take care of Rosie for the night.

He nonetheless settles for breaking the news to Arthur himself; and his (kind of) friend looks so genuinely disappointed that Merlin can't think straight before he suggests:

"Maybe you could spend the evening with me and Rosie at our flat? She'd be delighted."

Arthur stares at him for a minute while Merlin fights his urge to face palm.

"Sure that wouldn't bother you?" Arthur eventually asks.

"Not at all." Merlin smiles, hiding his discomfort.

"That settles it then, text me the address, I'll come as soon as I'm done here."

Merlin nods, biting his lips, and exits the room without further talking. He's done enough already.

* * *

Needless to say, Rosie is delighted by the news that Arthur will be coming. She immediately decides to change her clothes for the princess dress Merlin had bought for her birthday months ago.

Merlin puts a DVD on to have some peace while he cleans up the mess that is his and Gwaine's flat.

He then settles on the couch next to Rosie who immediately cuddles against him.

"Rapunzel is the coolest princess." Rosie mumbles, focused on the screen.

"Flynn Rider isn't bad either." Merlin contemplates.

"He's not a princess." Rosie retorts.

Merlin rolls his eyes, amused.

"Besides, his real name is Eugene." She adds.

"I knew that, I was checking if you were following."

"Shush, that's my favorite song ever."

"It's the shortest."

"The smallest the cutest."

"Gwaine has a dangerous influence on you." Merlin deplores.

Their movie is interrupted by the doorbell and Merlin rises from the couch to open to Arthur.

"Sorry, I'm a bit late, my father dropped by." Arthur apologizes.

"Don't worry, we were in good company." Merlin beams and invites him in. "Ever seen ' _Tangled'_ the Disney movie?"

"As if I had time for that."

"Well, you're taking it tonight." Merlin retorts with a grin.

"That's my favorite movie ever ever ever!" Rosie squeals from the couch.

"Then I guess I don't have a choice. I surrender." Arthur smiles to her.

He follows Merlin on the couch and they sit each on one side of Rosie who then proceeds to explain the beginning of the movie to Arthur. Merlin is definitely charmed by Arthur's attention to the little girl's speech.

Little does he know, Arthur spends half of the movie looking at Merlin's reactions to it.

* * *

By the end of the movie, everything Rosie can talk about is the lanterns of the movie that were flying high in the sky.

"She almost set the flat on fire when Gwaine bought her a balloon with helium last month. She tried to light it up like a lantern." Merlin explains while Rosie runs in her bedroom to find God-knows-what.

"She's kind of high maintenance, isn't she?" Arthur chuckles.

"She has Gwaine's family blood after all, can't blame her." Merlin smirks.

Rosie comes back with a soft toy representing the horse from the movie and she agitates it under Arthur's nose, affirming that she is Raiponce.

Merlin takes advantage of their little chat to get up and prepare something to eat because Rosie is supposed to go to school in the morning. Arthur immediately helps him and Merlin doesn't dare to decline –that wouldn't be nice, would it?

Rosie doesn't leave Arthur alone even when they dine and Merlin doesn't mind, because Arthur is kind and seems to enjoy the little girl's company. Besides, it's safer that way.

* * *

Rosie's room is surprisingly blue. With her love for princesses and her girly choices, one could expect her favorite color to be pink, but she's actually really fond of blue. She once told Merlin and Gwaine that blue was her favorite because it was the color of her mom's eyes. That had nearly put Gwaine to tears; and the following morning, Merlin had decided they would paint Rosie's room with shades of blue.

Rosie made them add stars on the wall, because it reminded her of the stories her mother used to tell her –Merlin never dared explaining to her that her mother was actually using Doctor Who episodes to put her daughter to sleep.

She shows the stars to Arthur before allowing Merlin to take her in his arms to put her to bed.

Despite being blue too, Rosie's bed is that of a princess. That is, Gwaine worked hard to make it look like one. He had placed a hook in the ceiling to hang a circle of clothes that makes Rosie's bed looks like a cocoon. Arthur can't help but think this is her safe place.

"Will you come back again?" Rosie asks Arthur while Merlin is tucking her in bed.

"Depends on a lot of things, but why not?" Arthur shrugs.

"Can you come to my birthday?"

"It's in eight months." Merlin intervenes.

"You can be late, I won't mind." Rosie continues, ignoring Merlin.

Arthur chuckles at that. "We'll see... Sleep well."

With that, he offers her one last smile and leaves the room, letting Merlin bid her goodnight.

"I'm glad you're friends now." Rosie states.

Merlin smiles fondly. "I'm glad too."

"When's Gwaine coming to say goodnight?"

"You know he'll come no matter what." Merlin replies, stroking her forehead gently.

She nods, contented and Merlin kisses her cheek.

When he comes back in the living-room, Arthur is leaning against the bar and smiles at him.

"She's sweet." He declares.

"She is also really exhausting."

"But you love her."

"I do, I do very much." Merlin agrees.

"It's hard to imagine Gwaine being such a good example for her."

Merlin chuckles and sits on the couch, gesturing for Arthur to sit beside him –which he does.

"He prefers to be seen as an idiot by the others. He hates pitiful glances and uneasy silences." Merlin explains.

"That's a success so far."

"I'm not telling this is a good strategy, I'm just explaining to you why he behaves like an ass most of the time. He prefers to have people hating him or just misjudging him instead of pitying him. He wants Rosie to grow up in a safe place. He wants her to feel like she can be a happy little girl, not only the sad orphan girl raised by her depressingly miserable uncle."

"Are you quoting him?"

"More or less." Merlin grins. "Just know that he isn't as bad as he looks to you right now."

"That's not the impression I was under since that night he talked about your exes."

Merlin tenses and stares at his hands. He has a feeling Arthur wants to ask him a thousand questions but is holding back out of respect.

"It's because he's hurt… And maybe he resents me a little." Merlin eventually declares.

Arthur nods, biting his lips, and Merlin can tell the questions are burning his tongue.

"Will was my first serious boyfriend." He yields. "We stayed together for a year but I didn't want to move in with him because I didn't want to leave Gwaine alone in the difficult time he was having with his sister's death. That eventually drove Will away from me and he found his solace with Gwaine's girlfriend."

"But if he was with you…"

"He's bisexual." Merlin cuts him. "Anyway, that's a sad story and Gwaine is still persuaded he wouldn't have lost his girlfriend if I had taken care of Will. That's easier to think that than to blame it on the pain that blinded him at the time –which is the reason why _he_ drove his girlfriend away."

"Neither of you is guilty if these two decided to be selfish when you were both going through some harsh times." Arthur retorts.

"Ha, I wish it were that simple." Merlin's tone is cynical. "But you know what; I won't bother you with that tonight. Do you want to watch another movie?"

"If it's not another Disney, I'm in."

Merlin chuckles and they both spend the rest of the evening enjoying the other's company.

* * *

**The Prat** : Thank you for trusting me with your story. And thanks for the evening.

**Merlin** : You don't get to use it as blackmail, but you're welcome.

**The Prat** : We were having a moment, you ruined it, idiot.

**Merlin** : Thank you for coming tonight.

**The Prat** : Good night, xo

**Merlin** : Sleep tight! xo

* * *

 

**_Part 9_ **

No, Merlin is not watching Arthur's 'xo' text for the hundredth time today. After all, it could be the same mistake he made some time ago when he used 'xo' himself. And no, he's definitely not becoming aware of some highly misplaced feelings he would have for the prat. That would be stupid of him, really.

"Still daydreaming about my brother?" Morgana teases.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Merlin retorts without lifting an eye from the file he's supposed to review.

"Such a bad liar…" She sneers.

"I was worrying about Gwaine. He seemed shaken up by what happened to his colleague last night."

"What happened?" Merlin hides his smile; he knew Morgana's curiosity would be too strong.

"There was a hold-up in the building where he works. One of his colleagues tried to play the hero and got shot in the shoulder. He'll live but they were all really afraid –which is understandable."

"He's in charge of Rosie; it's only natural if he was shaken up."

"I know. I suggested a change of carrier but he's right when he said it wouldn't be easy with Rosie to take care of."

"Sometimes Merlin, you sound like you're gonna live with them forever." Morgana ponders out loud.

"They're family. I can't abandon them."

"Have you ever dreamt to have your own place? Your own life?"

"I don't have time for that. Besides, I'm perfectly happy as I am."

"You could get a job you like, don't you think?"

"What kind of job? This is the closest to a decent job I'll ever get Morgana." He mocks.

"You could do better. You're gifted."

Merlin shrugs and turns his chair towards her.

"Are you trying to fire me?"

"No, of course no, idiot!" She eyes him as if he were stupid. "But I'll be on my feet soon and I won't need you as much anymore. I thought maybe it was an opportunity to propose a promotion to you…"

"What do you mean a promotion?" Merlin questions her.

"Well, there are a lot of cities that could use effective correspondents for the company and I think you've got what it takes to be one now."

"You mean leaving London? Leaving my friends?" Merlin sounds shocked.

"Don't be overdramatic, that wouldn't mean leaving forever. You'd have to share your time between London and the other city."

Merlin remains silent for a while, processing the information. Morgana sighs and manages to stand on her feet using her cane, to reach him and sit beside him.

"I'm not punishing you; I'm giving you the opportunity of a life time. That would mean money of course, but also a new start. A life that would be yours."

"My life's perfectly fine."

"Merlin, you're living with your best friend and his little girl. You are taking responsibilities that are not yours to take."

"And you're trying to take decisions that are not yours to take." Merlin spats back. "You don't get to judge me and my life style, Morgana."

"I'm speaking to you as a friend…"

"No, you're speaking rubbish and that's sure as hell isn't something a friend would tell me. And now I'm taking a day off."

Merlin storms out of her office without looking back.

Anger is running through his blood, mixed with fear of the unknown and at the back of his mind, maybe, just maybe, the insufferable idea that she could be right.

* * *

When Gwen sees Merlin storming in her shop in the middle of the morning, she immediately moans in despair:

"Oh no, Merlin, please, _please_ , tell me you're not fired again. If you are, you have no excuses, Morgana is a sweetheart!"

"Sweetheart, my ass." Merlin grumbles.

"Oh my God, you're really fired isn't it?"

"Is it all you're worried about?" He sighs.

"You're not fired?"

"Gwen!" He lets out an exasperated cry.

"What happened then?"

"Morgana made plans for my life without talking to me first. She thinks my life is rubbish and wants me to live according to her standards."

"I'm pretty sure you're overreacting."

"Am not." He retorts, annoyed.

He crosses his arms and sits beside her behind the counter. Gwen quickly goes to the door to close the shop for some minutes. She needs to reason Merlin and that's gonna take her whole attention.

"She said I needed to leave London for a new job. She said I shouldn't be living with Gwaine and Rosie anymore. She basically said I'm a child who needs to grow up and finds a 'real job'."

"And she's wrong…?"

Gwen grimaces when she notices Merlin's glower.

"I'm sorry Merlin but she does have a point."

"You're with her?" Merlin sounds indignant.

"She may have said it more bluntly than she should have, but she's not that wrong."

"Are you my friend?"

"Yes, I am, and so is she."

"Have you two organized this?"

"She talked to me about it." Gwen confesses.

Merlin stands up, visibly outraged, and Gwen takes his hands to try to appease him:

"I was skeptical at first, and being a bit selfish I confess. I love you and I would miss you greatly if you were to go live in another town but I talked with Lance about it and now I see things differently."

"Oh, because Lance wants me gone too?"

"Don't be stupid, we don't want you to go away. But we're your friends, we worry about you. She's offering you a great opportunity, a good job. Lance made me realize that."

"What made you all think my life was so miserable?"

"We don't think you're unhappy." Gwen rectifies. "We just think you have so much more potential and you're wasting it here. You can't live with Gwaine and Rosie forever, Merlin, I know he saved your life and I know you saved his, but you need to let go now. You don't need him all that much anymore, same for him. You both need to go on with your lives."

"And who are you to decide for us?" Merlin shouts, exceeded. "I can't believe you would betray me like that and go behind my back for that kind of crap."

"Merlin…"

"Don't ' _Merlin'_ me, that's my life and _I_ decide what _I_ want to make of it. Morgana doesn't get to decide, and _you_ sure as hell don't get to decide."

He sends her a last glare before he leaves her shop, slamming the door on his way out.

* * *

_Four days later:_

Arthur is woken up around 1am by his phone buzzing on his night table. He lets out a groan and answers in a second groan.

"Arthur, I'm sorry to wake you up." Morgana's voice apologizes.

That definitely wakes him up: Morgana never apologizes to him or at least certainly not for waking him up in the middle of the night.

"Something's wrong?" He asks, worried.

"Have you heard of Merlin lately?"

"No, no he didn't reply to my last two or three texts. I figured he was too busy working for you."

"I wish he were." Morgana regrets. "He has disappeared four days ago and Gwen and I are really starting to worry. We've been looking for him but no one knows where he is, not even Rosie."

"So you're phoning me in the middle of the night to ask _me_? I'm not sure I want to understand your reasoning." He grimaces.

"Please, there's no time for your problems Arthur. He was quite upset when he left."

"What did you do to him?"

Morgana explains what happened with the job proposal and their clumsy attempt at making him aware of his potential. Arthur pinches his nose when she's over.

"You dropped it on him like a bomb; I thought you had more notions in psychology Morgana."

"Father is going to review everyone's files in four weeks from now on. By then, I'll be able to walk properly and I won't need an assistant anymore. I wanted to give Merlin an opportunity to have a good job, take a new start. You know he deserves it."

"The guy loves his current life, there was no way he was ready to hear that kind of things. From you, or from his best friend. God, he wouldn't take it well if it came from Rosie herself."

"We made a mistake, we're aware of that. But we're worried. Gwaine told us Merlin hasn't come home since then."

"And I'm the one supposed to find him?"

"I don't have time for this discussion."

"I'll try and find him." Arthur surrenders, knowing perfectly well what her sister is referring to.

"Thank you, keep me posted."

She hangs up on him and he sighs. He gets out of bed and looks for his pants while composing Merlin's number –no, he doesn't know it by heart.

There's no answer but Arthur tries again.

After four unsuccessful attempts, Arthur's fully dressed and goes out of his apartment against his better judgment.

* * *

Ten more attempts later, Arthur decides to go to the bar Merlin and him drank several times before. He leaves Merlin a voice mail to let him know he's waiting for him in front of the bar all night if he needs to.

It's nearly 3am when Merlin finally shows up, his hands in his pocket, seemingly annoyed.

"You came." Arthur smiles and invites him to sit beside him on the bench.

"Wouldn't want you to catch a cold." Merlin mumbles.

"Thank you, I appreciate the thought."

"If you try to convince me I need a change of life, I'm leaving though."

"I'm not here for that."

"Oh, really?"

"Morgana and Gwen are worried about you, even Gwaine is."

"What does it have to do with you?"

"Morgana woke me up. She threatened to end my life if I didn't find you."

Merlin chuckles a little.

"They're sincerely sorry." Arthur declares with a small smile.

"Not as sorry as I am."

"Don't be bitter, they were trying to do the right thing for you."

"You think they're right." Merlin states, resentment clear in his voice.

"I think they weren't approaching the matter as diplomats. They were clumsy but their intentions were pure."

"I thought they were family." There's a note of sadness in Merlin's voice.

"Family looks out for each other, that's what they were trying to do."

"Can you stop defending them for a minute?"

Arthur laughs quietly and nudges Merlin's shoulders.

"You should forgive them, Grumpy. They won't talk about it again if you do."

"Are you seriously negotiating?"

"That's what I've been sent for." Arthur smirks. "I can fire you so the promotion thing won't be a problem anymore."

"Why, thank you, that would solve all my issues about being a responsible adult in my friends' eyes." Merlin mocks, his tone cynical.

"Where were you staying all this time?"

"A hotel not far from here. I didn't take any of my stuff. This is getting ridiculous."

"Ha, too proud to make the first step." Arthur grins.

"Why are you here?"

"I was kind of worried."

"Kind of worried?" Merlin echoes, an amused sparkle in his eyes.

Arthur gives him a fake annoyed look and it's Merlin's turn to nudge Arthur's shoulders.

"Let's go grab your stuff; you'll stay at my place." Arthur declares.

Merlin isn't sure to understand. "What?"

"What kind of friend would I be if I were to let you in your misery?"

"Friend?"

Arthur shrugs. "For lack of a better word."

Merlin smiles at him and they get up from the bench, both feeling lighter than before.

Arthur almost forgets to send a text to Morgana to reassure her.

* * *

"I have a guest bedroom upstairs." Arthur indicates after closing the door.

"This doesn't look like a flat, this is a freaking palace." Merlin answers.

"I'll show you around tomorrow, for now I'd like to sleep."

"How do you find your way around? This is huge. I feel so ridiculous now that you've seen my place."

"I'm going to bed, Merlin. Feel free to visit without me. The bedroom I was talking about is the first door to your right upstairs. There's a panel on the bathroom door so you won't miss it. Good night."

Arthur is almost in his room when Merlin's voice calls behind him:

"Thank you."

Arthur smiles a little and gets back in bed. He can sleep in the morning since it's a Sunday, but now that he knows that Merlin will stay the day at his place, he prefers to wake up earlier than usual. He's a bit afraid to discover why but he really wants to enjoy Merlin's company while he's here.

* * *

**_Part 10_ **

****

Merlin nearly has a heart attack when he finds Arthur in the kitchen, still in his pajamas, the following morning around ten o'clock. The man looks even hotter after waking up, which is unfair.

"There's coffee behind me." Arthur indicates, focused on reading the newspaper.

"Thanks." Merlin utters before taking the cup Arthur has seemingly left for him.

He then sits on a bar stool next to Arthur and drinks his coffee, losing himself in his thoughts. It feels like he can't get away from them lately. Morgana and Gwen had managed to get him to doubt his life choices. And it's bloody annoying.

Arthur snaps him out of his gloomy contemplations. "You can stay here for as long as you want to."

Merlin is surprised but grateful. "Thanks."

"I'll ask someone to get you some clothes."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I think you need some time away from your usual comfort zone. So I'm helping you."

"You want to fire me again?"

"No, I want you to figure out what you want now that Morgana and Gwen made you doubt your resolutions."

"I do _not_ doubt anything. I'm just mad at them."

"Please, if you didn't doubt, you'd be back talking to them now."

"I finally got the proof Morgana's your rightful sister."

"Don't be grumpy; I'm being the nice guy here."

"Fine, I'll stay here for a while." Merlin yields.

"I knew you wouldn't resist the idea of my company." Arthur teases.

Merlin looks exasperated but he's actually charmed by Arthur's idea.

* * *

Merlin and Arthur spend their entire day doing nothing productive. They talk, play cards, watch a movie or two, play video games before ending their busy day with a marathon of silly reality shows on TV because it makes them feel _really_ clever and it's funny.

Merlin has dodged every phone calls he has received by leaving his phone in the guest room upstairs and Arthur has cancelled on Mithian, telling her he needs to work, which is a lie –but he wouldn't be the first man to lie to his girlfriend, right?

"Are you planning on returning to work at some point?" Arthur asks after the last movie of their evening.

"I'm working from my computer." Merlin shrugs.

"But it's not the only thing your job consists of."

"I will return soon. I just don't want to face Morgana now, because I'm still really angry and I don't want to be mean to her."

"You are aware that they weren't doing it to upset you?"

"Trying to defend them again?"

Arthur sighs but there's a smile at the corner of his mouth. He leans back in the couch and turns his head towards Merlin.

"What happened to you, Merlin?"

"My friends suck." Merlin complains, staring at the ceiling.

"I wasn't talking about that."

"Precise your thoughts then."

"It costs to say it, but you're cleverer than you give yourself credits for. Why are you here now? You could have a great job, maybe even a family."

"I have all those things." Merlin retorts, his face closed to discussion.

Arthur insists anyway: "I'm just curious to know what made you abandon your dreams."

"I didn't abandon anything; there were never dreams in the first place."

Arthur shifts his position so that he is facing Merlin, his hands on his knees.

"You told me a while ago that you would talk about your mother if I told you about the snow globes. This is the moment when I ask you to pay your debt."

"You're annoying, you know that?" Merlin mutters.

Arthur chuckles: "You like it, don't deny it."

Merlin can't help but smile a little before he surrenders.

"My mother sent me in London because I wanted to be a scientist."

"A scientist?" Arthur sounds insultingly skeptical and Merlin throws a cushion at him.

"I was actually really skilled."

"Ok, I believe you." But Arthur is smirking smugly.

"I didn't have enough money. I had to drop out to work."

"You could have done both."

"I could have, but my mom lost the house. That's when I got involved with Cendred. I spent four years working for him. I used to send every penny I earned so that she could live decently."

"Where is she now?"

"Living with an old friend of the family, his name's Gaius. He takes care of her now but I still send some money to help."

"Why don't you go back to science now?"

"Gwaine and Rosie could use the money."

"So you're gonna help the others forever? You're gonna neglect your own happiness?"

"You don't think I tried? I drove Will away with all that. But that's pointless, I can't be selfish. That's kind of my curse." Merlin shrugs.

"Your curse?" Arthur wonders out loud.

"We all have a curse."

"I don't."

"Do you want to talk about your father?"

"Yeah, ok, I get it. I do." Arthur whispers. "Gwaine and Rosie won't resent you if you go on with your life. You've got to live for yourself Merlin, being selfish is only human."

"Coming from you, that's rich."

"I didn't say I was perfect but at least I love my job."

Merlin nods absentmindedly, still caught up in his past. Arthur lets him and gets up to go to the large windows to watch the illuminated city.

"I'm an idiot, aren't I?" Merlin eventually utters.

"I don't really think you're an idiot. But if you ask me again tomorrow, I'll deny everything."

"Gwen was right, I overreacted." Merlin moans.

"I'm pretty sure she isn't vindictive. Morgana could be, but she'll make an exception for you."

Merlin gets up to join Arthur to the window. They remain quiet for some time before Merlin breaks their comforting silence.

"Do you really love your job?"

"As a matter of facts, I do… And I can see it surprises you."

"I figured you were doing it for your father." Merlin shrugs.

"I'm doing it for myself. Contrary to Morgana who didn't have the patience, I began as an assistant in the lower offices. I climbed the ladder throughout the years. I've done it all by myself."

"Why did you do it?" Merlin sounds genuinely intrigued and that lights up Arthur's smile.

"To prove my point."

"Your point being?"

"I don't owe my position to my father."

"Yet you let him shout at you."

"I don't owe him my job but I still want him to be proud. That's why I work twice as much as everyone."

"You can't win."

"I can try."

"Who's the idiot now?" Merlin teases.

"I have high standards."

"You mean your father has high standards."

Arthur winces but has to recognize Merlin's right.

"Is it the reason why you're dating Mithian?" Merlin asks before he can think too much.

Arthur gasps audibly and stares at him with rounded eyes.

"She's nice and everything, but come on, there's no chemistry between you two." Merlin clarifies.

"That's my girlfriend you're talking about."

"I'm not insulting her. I'm just saying that a girl like that tends not to let a normal guy cold."

"Are you saying I'm not a normal guy?"

Merlin laughs. "I'm saying you're cold as ice."

"I don't need your advice when it comes to my love life, Merlin." Arthur groans, avoiding his gaze.

"I bet your father approves of her."

Arthur remains silent but Merlin can tell he's boiling with indignation.

"I won't tell anyone, you can be honest with me." Merlin vows, turning his back to the window.

He crosses his hands behind his back to lean against the window, looking at Arthur sideways. The latter sighs heavily before he surrenders:

"She's the daughter of one my father's collaborators." He confesses. "I met her at a business dinner several months ago. She was really nice –and even you can't deny she's pretty– she was bored, I was bored, and that got us talking."

Merlin offers him a grateful smile and Arthur sighs, leaning against the window next to Merlin.

"We're messed up alright, huh?" Merlin muses.

"We should be each other's shrink." Arthur jokes, cynical.

"I tell you what, we're gonna make a deal. I get rid of my curse and try to live for myself and you do the same with your own curse."

"Is this a way to tell me you want me to break up with Mithian?"

Merlin grins wildly and moves to face him.

"You can say that." He whispers mysteriously.

Arthur stares at him blankly, processing this new parameter and before he can think about it, his eyes are travelling on their own towards Merlin's smiling lips. He gulps and brings his eyes back to Merlin's.

"I'm going to bed now." He manages to utter before running away from the gap between Merlin and the window.

Merlin's smile only widens.

* * *

**_Merlin Emrys: Life changing decisions…_ **

_Gwaine Lawrence, Arthur Pendragon and 6 others like this._

**Gwen DuLac** : Does this mean I can have my best friend back?

**Merlin Emrys** : As if you could ever lose me…

* * *

When Morgana sees Merlin enters her office after more than a week without him, she gets up from her chair and clumsily walks towards him to close the gap between them and hug him with enough strength to strangle him.

"I'm glad to see you too." Merlin mocks, hugging her back.

"Don't let me go."

"That's sweet, but I was under the impression I had work to do."

"I meant it literally to be honest. I'm going to fall down if you let me go."

"Oh… Do you need help to get back to your chair?"

"That'd be nice, thank you Merlin." She laughs.

Once she's back behind her desk, he offers her the coffee he has brought for her and she thanks him with a wide smile.

"I don't want to leave London, I sincerely love this city." He declares.

"I'll find something that doesn't need you to move then."

"Thank you Morgana."

There's more than politeness in his eyes and she nods knowingly.

"That's what being friends means." She utters tentatively.

"If this is a way to check if we're friends, then yes, we never ceased to be."

"Good. Now, you have thousandth of photocopies to make. I suggest you start right now."

"You're evil." He grumbles upon seeing the pile waiting for him on his desk.

"I know." She smirks. "Good to have you back."

* * *

Arthur pays the bill and lightly puts what he hopes to be a comforting hand on Mithian's shoulder before leaving the café quietly. He feels guilty for making her suffer; he never wanted her to get hurt.

But ever since Merlin's comments on the absence of chemistry in their couple, Arthur hasn't found the strength to pretend anymore. It wasn't working, it never really did, and it's time to put an end to their puppet show. Their fathers would be the only ones to be really disappointed. And Arthur is getting tired of doing things for the sake of his father's perfect world.

That's step one in getting rid of his 'curse'.

He has struggled against Merlin's presence in his head for far too long and he is now aware that it's not that bad to let him in. Merlin fascinates and infuriates him at the same time, and it's nice because it's challenging. Everything was too neat before Merlin's arrival in his life. Arthur felt ashamed of far too many things he shouldn't be ashamed of in the first place.

Of course, Merlin hadn't done all that consciously. It had been a long process, little things that could have been nothing to anyone else. It has accelerated since Merlin has been staying in his flat. They spent all their time together and Arthur never got tired of it –even if sometimes, he does want to hit Merlin because he's truly maddening.

Besides, Arthur has finally accepted that he is attracted to Merlin. That doesn't mean he doesn't call him an idiot at times and that certainly doesn't mean they're gonna stop their banter anytime soon; they're both too fond of their disputes. But it does mean that Arthur has thought more than once about kissing Merlin. That part is still disconcerting though, and he's not really sure he wants to act on it. What he does know is that it wasn't fair to Mithian. He has waited more than he should have, really, but breaking up with someone is never easy –even more so if it's the last obstacle between you and someone you like more than you should.

Now that it's done, Arthur feels amazingly free.

* * *

It's late when Merlin comes back to Arthur's flat and he lets himself fall on the couch, knowing that Arthur won't be long to come home.

Arthur has invited him to extend his stay and Merlin is nearly ashamed to admit he didn't hesitate before he agreed. He loves living with Arthur. They drive each other mad most of the time with all their arguments and it's nearly domestic, but they also laugh a lot. They keep each other's company and it feels like they're never bored. They always have something to talk about and their silences are now perfectly comfortable.

The only problem is, Merlin is now convinced there's no way he's gonna see Arthur as a friend. He is forever banned from the friend zone. Even more so when his eyes fall on Merlin's lips and he becomes suddenly very self-conscious.

Maybe it's the effect of the whole 'lifting the curse' thing, but Merlin is more and more tempted to act upon his impulses. If he weren't so sure that Arthur would react badly, he would have already kissed the man.

Merlin's musings are interrupted by the doorbell. He frowns and goes to the door wondering who could possibly come at this hour. He's surprised to discover Mithian on the doorstep.

"Oh, Merlin."

"Mithian, hi."

It's useless to precise that they're both _really_ ill-at-ease.

"Arthur's not here yet." Merlin states. "But you can wait inside."

"Thank you."

Merlin closes the door behind her and they both sit on a different couch, awkwardly silent.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" Merlin suggests.

"Has he realized it yet?" She cuts in, as if she has been battling with herself for some time before daring to say it out loud.

"Realized what?"

"I've heard Arthur talk about you since the very first time he met you so I figured since you're here…"

Merlin flushes. "Oh no, he's not…"

"Why don't we skip the part where we pretend we don't know he's crazy about you?"

"You're delusional."

"Am I?" She sighs.

Merlin would give anything to be miles away right now.

"I knew what I was getting myself into when we started dating. I didn't care, I wasn't interested. I was coming out of a messed-up story and all I wanted was to shut my father's mouth."

Merlin focusses on his hands, just like he does every time he's uncomfortable.

"But now I regret I wasn't more cautious…" She sounds like she's about to cry and Merlin feels helpless.

"You know, we barely know each other, I don't really know what to say…" He manages to utter.

"Of course, you're right, I'm sorry."

She composes herself again and gets up.

"Take care of him, Merlin. He's not as tough as he wants people to believe."

Merlin stares at her dumbfounded while she leaves the apartment without looking back.

"Weirdest conversation _ever_." He declares out loud.

He then resumes his position on the couch to ponder on what just happened.

* * *

**_Part 11_ **

When Arthur gets in his apartment, there's no light on and it's abnormally quiet. It's been only a week, but he was getting used to Merlin waiting for his return. It's kind of their ritual. He frowns and puts his umbrella and his shoes in the entrance before going in the living-room.

"Merlin?" He calls.

"Here," comes the muffled answer from the couch. "I fell asleep, sorry."

"You should have gone to bed then."

"I needed to talk to you."

Arthur eyes him suspiciously while Merlin stands up, yawning.

"Mithian was here." He then states.

"That's a surprise." Arthur confesses.

"That was one indeed. You kind of forgot to tell me you broke up with her."

"Did she tell you?" Arthur grimaces.

"She didn't have to. She was upset by the way."

"Sorry… I hope it wasn't too awkward?"

"Awkward would have been preferable to what I went through." Merlin grumbles.

"I'm sorry… I'll make it up to you."

"You better. Why did you break up with her?"

"Why does it matter to you?" Arthur retorts.

"I had to face your upset ex-girlfriend for ten excruciatingly long minutes."

"That's what you wanted, no?"

"What do you mean?" Merlin questions him, lost.

"You told me I was ice cold and there was no chemistry."

"You did it because of me?" Merlin's heart shouldn't be beating so fast.

"That's part of lifting my curse." Arthur shrugs.

"You're unbelievable."

Merlin rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

"So this is my fault if this poor girl is sad." Merlin regrets.

"No, it's mine. You definitely tend to overreact, Merlin."

"I'm overreacting?"

"Yes, you are." Arthur retorts. "People break up every day. No one is dead. She'll get over it more quickly than you would think."

"You may have broken her heart, how can you take it so seriously?"

"You want me to go back with her?"

"No!" Merlin nearly shouts.

Merlin blushes under Arthur's gaze. He is clearly amused by Merlin's reaction.

"You're messing with my head." Merlin complains, feeling trapped. "I just think you didn't have to break her heart."

"Her heart's fine. She didn't love me all that much."

"I'm pretty sure she did more than you think."

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Because I feel responsible."

Arthur gives him a look that means he's having none of his silliness today.

"This is making me uncomfortable ok? I hate causing pain to people. And I know, you were the one doing the break-up part but I was the one who couldn't shut his mouth and had to ramble on and on about your absence of chemistry. And maybe if I hadn't had such a big mouth, you wouldn't have broken up with her, and she wouldn't be upset and sad. And everything is my fault now. You shouldn't have listened to me. I'm a bad person, aren't I? Oh, I'm horrible, I should have…"

Arthur can't help but smiles fondly at Merlin's rambling. He knows that it should annoy him; he should tell him to shut up and call him an idiot. But he just can't bring himself to pretend anything anymore. And he knows Merlin's presence in his flat for several days has damaged his struggle but it doesn't matter all that much at that moment.

He's not listening anymore, all he can see is Merlin being upset and his lips moving. He is aware that he should appease him (despite the endearing quality of the rambling), so he does, before he can even think.

Merlin gasps audibly when he feels Arthur's lips covering his without warning. He hasn't seen that one coming –literally. It's gone before it really began and then Arthur avoids his gaze, mumbling an apology before he turns his back to go. But Merlin pulls him towards him again and Arthur can feel the ghost of his lips on his.

"That's a bad idea." Arthur whispers, his eyes closed.

"I won't tell if you don't." Merlin replies quietly, his forehead against Arthur's.

"I can't do this, it's a mistake. I was just…"

"Trying to shut me up?" Merlin teases and Arthur opens his eyes to plunge into Merlin's amused gaze. "It worked." Merlin adds, before kissing him.

Arthur is really tempted to reciprocate the kiss, Merlin can tell from his unsteady breathing and the way he doesn't try to get away.

"That's a terrible, terrible idea." Arthur groans without even trying to walk away. "I'm not even drunk."

"I'm not drunk either."

"Then we should stop. We won't talk about it ever again."

"We can do it without talking." Merlin smiles while he kisses the corner of Arthur's mouth.

"You're impossible…" Arthur trails off, distracted by Merlin's lips millimeters away from his.

He opens his mouth to speak, expose all the reasonable reasons they shouldn't be doing this, but by the time he tries to voice them, he has forgotten all about it.

"I won." Merlin grins.

"Shut up." Arthur groans before he assaults Merlin's lips.

He can feel Merlin's smug smile and he can't suppress his own amusement but he doesn't stop –not anymore. It's everything they are, everything they feel. It's awkward at first, hot, and they kiss as they fight: fiercely. Neither of them wants to surrender the control to the other. However, when Arthur feels Merlin's hands on him –one on his neck to grab him, the other on his cheek, more tender– he quickly settles his own on Merlin's hips to bring him closer. The touch is thrilling and Arthur fleetingly wonders why the hell they haven't been doing this sooner.

For several seconds, at the back of his mind, there's still the idea they're doing something wrong but he eventually stops thinking. He has much better things to do.

* * *

Arthur's bedroom is the only room where one can feel his personality. The decoration is nonetheless sober, based on the color red. There's a desk where Arthur has put all his paperwork, burying part of his laptop with it. Sliding doors are concealing a dressing that could put to shame a fashion victim and several shelves are covered with books on different subjects, witnesses of Arthur's experiments in literature. There are pictures properly exposed in frames, most of them are of Morgana –with or without Arthur– but there are some of Arthur's friends too, and one of his father, but it's half-hidden behind the precious snow globe Morgana gave to him years ago. The large windows are currently recovered by heavy red curtains, but the sun is nevertheless trying to get through them. Of course, some shelves are reserved to Arthur's snow globes. It looks like he has hundredth of them and from all countries. In the middle of all that, against the wall in front of the door, Arthur's luxurious king-size bed looks like a throne.

Everything is tidy, except for the bed that is currently welcoming Merlin and Arthur. They're both tangled in the sheets and Merlin has been awake for some minutes now but he doesn't dare to move. Besides, he's perfectly comfortable where he is, with Arthur sleeping against him. He's been waiting for something like that to happen for weeks now, he's not gonna let it go anywhere soon.

He should wake Arthur though, because he knows how grumpy he'll be if he's late at work. It breaks Merlin's heart to do so, but he eventually softly ruffles Arthur's hair.

"Wake up Sleeping Beauty; we've got a job to go to."

"Not today." Arthur groans, hiding his face under a pillow.

"Calling in sick?"

Arthur doesn't answer and Merlin takes his pillow and throws it across the room.

"You don't let me sleep and you're out of this bed, _Mer_ lin." Arthur threatens him.

"We kind of need to do both."

"Shut the fuck up, I'm trying to sleep."

"So early and already so rude…" Merlin teases.

"My bed, my rules."

"Fine, I'll explain to Morgana you were too tired after our making out session last night and couldn't get up this morning."

That definitely wakes up Arthur and he takes Merlin's pillow to hit him with it repeatedly, cursing. Merlin tries to stop him between two fits of laughter but Arthur stops of his own initiative.

"You ruined the moment, Merlin." He then complains.

"I didn't even know we were having a moment."

"It was implicit."

"You snoring in my face was implicitly a moment?"

Arthur grimaces. "Why the hell am I attracted to you?"

Merlin steals a kiss from him, a kiss that quickly and dangerously takes the looks of a full make-out session round two. But Arthur eventually sighs, rolling his eyes:

"Fine, you win."

"That's two points for me. You're easily convinced, I feel like it's gonna be easier to end up our arguments now."

Arthur can't suppress a smile because Merlin looks like a boy on a Christmas morning.

"I'm still taking a shower before you though." He comments before he gets up and leaves the room.

Hearing Merlin curse after him sounds like music to his ears and he grins madly.

* * *

Nearly three weeks after leaving the flat he shared with Gwaine, Merlin is surprised to see his best friend enter Morgana's office. Merlin is alone because Morgana had a meeting with her father and Arthur.

"Merlin Emrys, you're the _worst_ best friend ever." Gwaine declares, hands on his hips.

"Think about what you just said." Merlin mocks.

"Come here before I can't find the strength to forgive you."

Merlin chuckles but obeys and hugs Gwaine. The man nearly crushes him with his deadly grip.

"After all those years, I never thought I could miss you." Gwaine confesses. "That's the part where you're supposed to declare your undying love for me by the way."

"You guessed it. Was I being so obvious?"

"That's the curse of my sex-appeal."

"I thought the ladies couldn't handle it..?"

"There are secondary effects." Gwaine retorts.

Merlin laughs and they both part with mirth in their eyes.

"You're right though, I actually missed you." Merlin admits.

"Glad to hear it. How are you?"

"More than fine." Merlin grins, thinking of the last week he has spent with Arthur. "You?"

"Fine as always. Taking care of Rosie, charming the ladies, being the greatest man on earth; I keep myself busy."

"I can see that. Why are you here though? Not that I mind, but I'm working."

"I was passing by." Gwaine shrugs.

"Oh, really?"

"Ok, I came here to ask you if you wanted to come back. I don't want you to feel obliged to but I also don't want you to feel like I'm letting you down."

"I've been thinking about getting my own place, to be honest."

"That's great!" Gwaine sounds genuinely thrilled. "I'm gonna miss your company, but that's really really great. I'm happy for you."

"You're going to use my room for something useful I guess?"

"Actually, I was thinking about finding a new flat for me and Rosie. Our flat is great, but it's a bit… small if you see what I mean."

"I get it, and I think it's a fantastic idea."

Gwaine beams proudly before he puts a hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"Our time has come, mate." He solemnly declares.

"We're not dead."

"That's the end of an era."

"I'll grant you that."

"That was a great journey, but now we've got to fly with our own…"

"I can almost hear the violins." Merlin cuts in, amused.

"I'm glad I've met you, Merlin." Gwaine smiles fondly, ruffling Merlin's hair.

"You've always been too sentimental." Merlin grumbles, trying to avoid Gwaine's hands.

"Anyway, I have to go back to work now. Nice talking to you, mate."

"I'll get the rest of my stuff soon."

Gwaine nods before he disappears with a grin.

Merlin feels surprisingly relieved. He would have thought it would be harder to say goodbye to that part of his life. But somehow, he finally understands that leaving a household doesn't mean leaving his family behind. Gwaine was right; it is the end of an era.

And Merlin's curse is lifting.

* * *

"I don't get why you needed to get your own place." Arthur grumbles for the hundredth time, putting down one of Merlin's boxes on the ground.

"I told you. I need to live on my own for some time." Merlin answers with a smile.

"Still. We were doing just fine." Arthur insists, pouting.

He lets himself fall on Merlin's brand new couch and sighs. Merlin puts down the box he's been holding to go sit next to Arthur.

"I'm not staying here forever." Merlin tries to insert some positive thinking but Arthur's not convinced. "I'm gonna miss you too." He adds with a nudge.

Arthur automatically feels embarrassed: "That's not what I meant."

"Yeah, right." Merlin grins. "You can still come here whenever you want."

"It's ridiculously small in here."

"Afraid your ego won't be able to fit in?"

"You're so annoying; I don't know why I put up with you." Arthur complains.

Merlin chuckles before he straddles Arthur's lap and kisses him senseless.

"Does it help your memory?" Merlin quietly utters.

"Can't tell, maybe I need more of your remedy." Arthur eventually smiles before resuming their kissing.

It's been a week but Arthur will never get tired of kissing Merlin – _never_. That's why he whines loudly when Merlin puts an end to their embrace.

"Rosie and Gwaine will be here any minute now and I really need to speak to Rosie. I haven't seen her in days and the phone didn't make it completely right."

"Ok, ok, I'll get the other boxes downstairs." Arthur surrenders.

Merlin smiles gratefully: "Thank you."

Merlin watches Arthur leaves the room without losing his smile. He feels like a cheesy fool but he can't help himself. He eventually gets up and goes back to emptying the boxes.

He's interrupted minutes later by the little Rosie who screams in delight when she sees him and runs straight to his legs. He laughs wholeheartedly and takes her in his arms to hug her.

"I missed you!" she voices, her face hidden in Merlin's neck.

"Missed you too." Merlin whispers back.

"Why you don't comeback, Merlin?"

"I told you Rosie, I'm going to live alone now. And you're moving to a bigger place with Gwaine."

"You don't love us anymore?" Rosie pouts.

"Don't ever believe that. I do love you both dearly. And I'm gonna miss you every day."

"Then come back."

Merlin puts her down and kneels in front of her. He looks for the right words, already feeling a lump in his throat because there's nothing more difficult in the world than to see Rosie upset.

"I have to live my own life." He eventually answers.

"What does it mean?"

"It means that I'm growing up."

"I'm growing up too, can I come with you?"

Merlin can't help but smile a little, even if his heart is a bit broken.

"I'm afraid that's a journey I have to take alone. But you'll be welcome to share every other adventure I'll have."

"I don't want you to go. Don't go, Merlin."

"Rosie, we talked about this…" Gwaine intervenes.

"It's ok." Merlin cuts him with a reassuring smile before returning to Rosie. "What if we make a deal?"

Rosie nods quietly.

"I will pick you up from school one day a week minimum." Merlin proposes.

"And we'll have ice cream?"

"Sounds like a deal to me." Merlin approves.

"You won't be late?"

"Never."

"You won't forget me?"

"Never ever."

"You swear?"

"With all my heart."

"You still love me?"

Merlin wasn't expecting that particular question, nor did he expect the tears that suddenly threaten to escape the safe place of his eyes. He hugs Rosie without warning before he whispers:

"Forever."

"Deal." Rosie answers with a smile before hugging him back.

Letting go of Rosie after that is the hardest thing he has ever done and he can barely wait for her and Gwaine to be gone before he releases the tears he's been holding back.

He hugs himself, looking out the window at Gwaine's car going away. It feels as if he has taken the wrong decision, as if he has let her down, as if he'll never forget himself for it.

He suddenly feels Arthur's arms around him and turns back to hide his tears in his neck, gripping his shirt with all his despair.

"For all it's worth, I don't think you're making a bad decision. I think you're more courageous I'll ever be and I admire you for that." Arthur murmurs.

"Let me guess, you'll deny it tomorrow?" Merlin sniffs with a bitter smile.

"Not this time."

"Thank you."

Arthur doesn't answer but holds him closer, kissing his temple.

"I know it sounds simple and cliché but... It's gonna be ok."

At that, Merlin chuckles.

Arthur smiles. "Told you it was cliché."

"I'm glad you're here." Merlin retorts.

"You're welcome."

"You still need to help me sort the boxes."

"God, you're insufferable!"

"But you love it."

Arthur doesn't answer but Merlin already knows he does. And it's enough, for now.

* * *

_A week later_

"I win." Arthur announces with a wide grin before he resumes kissing Merlin.

"We're still supposed to work." Merlin objects.

"Hush, let me enjoy my victory. I managed to make you forget all about work for an entire minute."

"You're supposed to be my boss, if someone comes in…"

"You're no fun." Arthur complains before he claims Merlin's lips again.

"Hey! I'm the one supposed to say that!" Merlin protests.

"You're insufferable."

Arthur rolls his eyes and releases Merlin's shirt before getting back to his desk.

"I saw Gwaine and Rosie without feeling guilty today." Merlin declares after a while.

Arthur can't help but smile: "You're efficient with this curse thing, aren't you?"

"I'm just following a good advice from a good friend."

" _A good friend_?"

Arthur sounds offended and that lights up Merlin's face. He walks towards the blond and crosses his arms, silently inviting him to develop.

"Do you often get in bed with your good friends, Merlin?" Arthur smirks.

"You never made it clear."

"Well, neither did you."

"Ok. Where do we stand?"

"You tell me, _good friend_."

There's something daring in Merlin's eyes and Arthur is surprised to find Merlin can still fascinate and infuriate him at the same time even now.

"What title do you want? Pratfriend?" Merlin teases.

"Are you trying to pick up a fight? Because that doesn't count. You started this; you were the one calling me a good friend."

"I refuse to call you my boyfriend." Merlin retorts.

"And why is that?"

"I'm a grown-up man."

Arthur bursts out laughing and Merlin quickly follows.

"God, you're weird." Arthur whispers before he kisses him.

"And you're a prat."

"I still don't get why I'm attracted to you."

"That's fine, I do." Merlin replies, stroking Arthur's cheekbone with his thumb. "But, I still need to work."

"I'm leaving for Glasgow in an hour." Arthur complains.

"I'll see you when you get back." Merlin smiles, kisses him lightly and gets out of his grip.

Arthur lets out a frustrated growl and gets back to work reluctantly.

* * *

**_Part 12_ **

 

Arthur has had difficulties working ever since Merlin has left the room. And he's still caught up in his thoughts when his father enters his office. That explains why he doesn't really listen to what he has to say, it's mostly criticisms anyway.

Ever since that night with Merlin, he can't seem to focus as much in his work as he used to. He doesn't complain though, thinking about Merlin is nice –most of the time. Sure, they still bicker over pretty much everything, but it's fun, the most fun Arthur's had in years. And the make-out sessions are definitely worth it.

"You've been awfully distracted lately." Uther complains, apparently displeased. "I'm beginning to think you're ill."

That snaps Arthur out of his pleasant thoughts. "I'm sorry father, what were you saying?"

Uther eyes him suspiciously for some seconds before he asks: "Was that Morgana's assistant coming out of your office earlier?"

"Yes, that was him." Arthur replies, seemingly relaxed when really, he's not.

"I noticed he's been in your office often lately. Are you planning on stealing him from Morgana? I thought you wanted him fired."

"I did, yes." Arthur confirms before he rectifies: "But I don't anymore, I was mistaking, Merlin is a wonder."

"Why is he so often here?"

"Morgana prefers working in her office so Merlin is our means of exchange." Arthur shrugs, feigning interest in a file on his desk.

Uther seems even more suspicious now and Arthur can't blame him – _a means of exchange, really?_ That has to be the worst excuse ever and his father is no fool.

"You've been behaving in the strangest manner these past weeks." Uther can't help but notice out loud.

Arthur shrugs; he has no answer for that.

"The staff has been gossiping about you and this man."

"Have they now?" Arthur cannot completely hide his discomfort.

"I would recommend you to let him be Morgana's assistant only, until his contract ends."

"His contract?"

"Well, Morgana is walking again, isn't she?"

"But Merlin is an important asset in our team now." Arthur defends.

"Don't be sentimental about it, Arthur; he's just an assistant."

"But he's good at this job." Arthur argues. "He has practically made the Theme Park file by himself."

Uther sighs and takes back his suitcase from Arthur's desk.

"I'll make sure he has a decent recommendation for his next job then."

"You can't fire him! Morgana wants him to have a decent post within the company!" Arthur cannot suppress his resentment.

"Don't be ridiculous…"

"I am not!" Arthur snaps. "There's no need to fire him."

Uther looks taken aback and scrutinizes Arthur's face with worry.

"It's because of the gossips, isn't it?" Arthur inquires; disgust clear in his voice.

"Well, the gossips are troublesome, for sure." Uther approves. "That won't give a good image of the company."

"How can you say that?" Arthur scowls.

"Your… _personal life_ can't interfere with the job, Arthur. That's a terrible idea for your carrier."

Arthur doesn't know what shocks him the most: the fact that his father is more or less aware of his sexuality or the fact that he'd rather have his son unhappy to hide this filthy secret from the world.

"Emrys has to go." Uther concludes. "I won't come back on this decision and I won't discuss it any further. By the end of the week, he will receive his last salary."

"You can't do this; he will never forgive Morgana, or me!" Arthur argues.

"Did you really think I would encourage you to pursue such a… _relationship_?"

"I don't need your encouragement." Arthur spats. "I'm almost thirty years old; I can take my own decisions."

An expression of anger passes on Uther's face before he states: "Visibly not."

He doesn't let Arthur protest further and turns on his heels.

"Don't forget your plane is waiting for you. And you can be fired too if you miss it." He adds before he slams the door.

Arthur covers his face with his hands for a minute before he cools himself. He still needs to process what happened before he chooses what to do. But if he wants to choose something, he needs to get on that plane.

Flying has never felt so burdening.

* * *

_Five days later…_

Arthur is in a shop to try and find snow globes when his phone rings. He has spent most of the day trying to find the perfect snow globe in the hope that one would be nice enough to deserve a spot in Merlin's flat as an apology gift for the days of silence.

He sighs when he sees Merlin's name on the screen. He's been dreading this call ever since his conversation with his father.

He still doesn't have a clue about what he's supposed to do or say. He wants to keep his job; he has worked hard to get here, to prove to his father but also to himself, that he can manage on his own. But he also wants Merlin to keep his job, to get a chance to move on with his life. Because Merlin deserves it more than anyone he has ever met. He has brought back joy in Morgana's eyes and warmed up Arthur's heart. Arthur still can't tell what it is that makes him so special, but Merlin sure knows how to brighten someone's day. He's honest and loyal, like the best of friends and more. So much more. And if there's one thing Arthur does know, it's that he doesn't want to lose whatever it is they have.

His heart aches when he finally picks up his phone.

"You better have an excellent explanation for all this Pendragon!" Merlin's voice immediately attacks.

"I'm sorry, Merlin."

"Don't apologize when there's nothing I can forgive you for. How could you let him do this after everything we shared?"

"I won't let him fire you." Arthur reassures him.

"Well, guess what? Too late!"

"Calm down, I will reason my father. You won't lose your job, I promise."

Merlin is fuming, Arthur can tell just by his unsteady breath in the phone. "You knew he was going to fire me, why didn't you tell me?"

"I needed some time to process what happened." Arthur answers truthfully.

"To process _what_? I'm the one being fired; I'm the one who needs to process things here!"

"My father is aware of our relationship."

There's a long silence on Merlin's end and Arthur can't see him but he knows that Merlin is biting his lips. Because Merlin is the nicest person in the world and he's probably tempted to comfort Arthur instead of continuing to shout angrily.

"He let me know that my choice would be between you and my job." Arthur explains.

"He would never fire you." Merlin retorts with renewed anger in his tone.

"You don't know him."

"So that's it then? Guess I didn't mean that much to you after all."

"You're overreacting again, Merlin. I will figure this out and we'll both keep our jobs."

"I'm not overreacting! You take it as if it were a just a bloody hitch!"

"I'm tired."

"So am I! I've been making efforts for two bloody months, taking everyone's crap and keeping my mouth shut, but this is too much. You're all judging me but you're not better than me. I'm done with you Pendragons. I'm done with everyone."

"I just need time, Merlin."

"You already had time; I've been waiting for you to move your sorry ass for weeks now. And you know what? Maybe I'm not the only one who needs to reconsider his life choices."

"Merlin…"

"I get the part where you hesitate for your job, what I don't get is the part where you don't talk to me. Am I so insignificant? Am I just some kind of experiment? A thrill in your dull life? What am I to be treated with so little consideration after everything I told you? After what we shared? What am I to you, Arthur?"

"I… I will make things right. You won't lose your job." Arthur closes his eyes because he is aware that he shouldn't have ended this sentence like that.

He feels his heart break a little when Merlin hangs up on him without another word.

* * *

_Two weeks later_

It seems strange to miss someone in a place where that precise someone has not been that much before; but that's exactly what Merlin feels every time he comes home to his new flat.

He's not furious anymore. To be honest, the anger has left him quite quickly to be replaced by regrets. He does tend to overreact, even more so when he feels betrayed and cornered. Falling for the prat was stupid, but that doesn't make it easier to forget him. And Merlin knows he should have left Arthur a chance to explain, figure things out on his own. But he has been so furious to be sacked by Uther after everything he had been through for the company. He had found a new meaning to his life, a meaning he never dared to dream of, and it gave him new hopes and new goals… Just to crush them like waves against stones the next minute.

Besides, Arthur behaved like a coward and even though Merlin can understand Arthur's fear of rejection and the difficulty to cope with their relationship in public, he cannot forgive Arthur for refusing to acknowledge the bond between them. Because he should have told Merlin that Uther was threatening their innocence. Because Arthur was supposed to fight his own curse and he didn't. Because Merlin's in love with the bloody prat.

And he can't get over him.

When Will left him, Merlin had been so crushed by Gwaine's grief, so occupied by this massive change in his life that he never fully realized that he had lost something. The reality had dawned on him months later, on a shiny morning in the park. He had sat on a bench to take a break from the heavy atmosphere in the flat and upon seeing a couple not far away from him; he had realized how much he missed Will. It suddenly felt empty where it had been so full of love; his heart had ached so much when he became aware of how lonely the path he had chosen would be. He had felt like yelling to the world because it was infuriating to think that human beings can't realize how important people are until they walk away. He chose to let his tears escape from his eyes instead and he cried for days. Because sometimes, no matter how many people repeat it to you, it feels like it's never going to be fine again.

Arthur is different though, always have been. The attraction is indeed mutual, but there's more to it, it has been so ever since their first meeting. They're both angry at so many things in their lives, and they both need to deal with their issues. Maybe that's why they were drawn to each other and mistook it for hatred. They have hated themselves for giving up on their dreams and they implicitly recognized it in each other's eyes.

Besides, Arthur is out of Merlin's comfort zone. He's infuriating, challenging, maddening, and definitely worth a bit of heartbreak. That's what makes him even more infuriating.

Merlin can still taste his lips, feel his hands, see his eyes, and hear his voice… His senses are still full of Arthur and it's more than he can bear.

"You miss him, don't you?" Gwen silently asks when she sits on Merlin's new couch in the middle of the living room, right where Arthur said it would look best.

"I want a lawyer. I don't have to answer this."

"Do you want me to play the part?" Lance proposes with a gentle but teasing smile at the corner of his lips.

Merlin glares at him from the armchair where he is curled up.

"It's been two weeks, Merlin." Gwen insists. "Morgana says he's as miserable as you."

"He has stopped calling." Merlin states in return.

"You weren't answering, what did you expect?" Lance intervenes.

"He knows my new address. He knows how to reach me if he really wants to. Yet where is he?"

"He's been through some rough stuff too." Gwen defends him. "And he and Morgana obtained an excellent job for you. You would never have had such an opportunity if it weren't for their intervention."

"I'm still fired."

"But at least _you_ have a job to go to." Lance states, nonchalant.

Gwen discreetly rolls her eyes at him but Merlin catches it.

He instantly feels suspicious: "What is it?"

Gwen and her husband exchange a nervous look before Gwen yields:

"Arthur quitted his job last week."

"Are you kidding me?" Merlin nearly yells.

"Am not. Morgana told me he had a fight with his father about you, a nasty one, and he handed him his resignation in the evening."

"He resigned?" Merlin feels his heartbeat increase at the idea that Arthur has abandoned the job he has worked so hard to get.

"I told you he's as miserable as you are. Maybe he's even worse because he refused every job offers he got after the news was made public."

"How did I not know about this?"

"You didn't pick up your phone." Lance remarks.

"Why did he do something so stupid?"

"Why are you pretending everything's fine when it's not?" Gwen retorts.

For a second or two, Merlin feels like answering that it's never gonna be fine without Arthur, because one day he swore and he never held that promise. But he eventually decides against it and remains silent.

"You should give him another chance." Gwen declares.

"God, Gwen! It's not because you're the poster girl for 'perfect match' with Lance that every person around you is the same. Some people are just not made for happy endings."

"That doesn't mean those people don't deserve one." She assures him. "And that sure as hell doesn't mean they should _give up_ that easily. You can't tell you've lost if you never tried to win in the first place. Maybe it's time you learn how to fight, Merlin."

"It's not me who should go to him!" Merlin suddenly shouts, outraged. "He's the one ashamed of me!"

"He was lost; tell me it never happened to you, I dare you."

Gwen holds Merlin's furious glare without blinking for a moment before she sighs.

"I can't stand to see you so sad when it could get better if only you talked to him. I get that you're hurt, I really get it, believe me, but you shouldn't quit so easily."

"He's the one who quitted before it even started."

"Lance, tell him." Gwen whines.

"You need to put your wounded ego aside, Merlin." Lance says calmly.

"Exactly. You let someone you loved go once; will you let Arthur go as well?"

Merlin refuses to answer but he already knows they're right. Gwen always is.

* * *

_Two days later_

"I'm not trying to pressure you Merlin, but if you could just, I don't know, tell him to eat?" Morgana sighs, her coffee in one hand and her other arm around Merlin's.

"He's not eating?" Merlin asks, seemingly distracted by the animation in the street where they're walking.

"Nor sleeping." Morgana deplores. "Well, I shouldn't complain so much, at least he showers."

Merlin rolls his eyes at her but he is a bit worried in spite of himself.

"At least, give me some piece of advice." Morgana pleads him.

"Advice about what?"

"How to get over you."

Merlin wasn't prepared to feel such a dagger piercing his heart at the idea of Arthur giving up on him. And it's a surprise, because he never expected to forgive him so suddenly, so painfully. It strikes him unexpectedly and he realizes that he's not ready to face this, that he can't let Arthur go so easily.

He doesn't answer to Morgana and avoids her inquiring gaze, staring at the shops around them. That's when he sees it and everything becomes clear.

"I have something really important to do." He declares out of the blue. "Can you go home without my help? I can get you a cab if you want."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Do what you have to do." Morgana smiles, already aware that she has triggered what she wanted in Merlin.

He kisses her cheek and enters the shop without looking back. Morgana can't hide her bright smile when she reads the name of the shop. And it feels a bit like closure, because everything's gonna be fine now. The rest is only bad memories.

And _souvenirs_.

* * *

****

**_Epilogue_ **

****

It's been five minutes since the doorbell rang when Arthur gathers up the courage to open the door of Morgana's flat. He assumes his sister won't be happy if he keeps her waiting for more since she must already be pissed for leaving her keys on the counter.

He's a bit surprised to discover a package on the doorstep, with a letter taped onto it. He takes it and scans the blank envelop quickly before closing the door behind him. He goes back to the couch and decides to open the package first. He carefully unwraps the box and feels his heart jump painfully in his chest when he discovers a snow globe.

He takes it in his hands to observe it and his eyes water a little when he realizes that a man is trapped inside, his hands glued to the glass of the globe, as if it were desperate to escape.

Arthur stares at it for some minutes before he remembers the letter. He recognizes the handwriting right away.

"Merlin…"

* * *

_Arthur,_

_I didn't really know what to put in this letter so I settled for everything._

_First of all: you're a prat and by that I mean the worst prat ever. You're a bit self-centered and completely dumb. Besides, you're clueless when it comes to human feelings (are you a robot?) and even if that's kind of cute, that's also infuriating and I wish I could say I hate you for it, I really do._

_But I can't._

_You have no idea how many times I tried to reason myself, tried to settle for being your friend, just your friend, because you didn't need someone like me to upset your world, because you were doing just fine before I came crashing in. But I guess you weren't that fine after all. We all have a curse, remember? And I would never have fixed mine if it weren't for you. You cured me and before I could think about it, I was too far gone. Maybe that's why I wasn't patient when you were afraid. Because I was too stupid to admit that I was scared too._

_My point is: I was never able to friend-zone you. And it took me a while to realize that this isn't a curse. Loving someone should never be one._

_That's why the snow globe lovers need to find each other, they deserve their curse to be broken, don't you think? I'm offering you the half you've been missing, and I know now that you'll take good care of it._

_I was stupid, again, and I pray that you'll accept my apologies._

_You told me once that everything was going to be fine. And even if I know that sometimes, it feels like it's never going to be fine again, I believe it now. I believe you._

_I'm ending this letter now. Before I begin to ramble on and on again. (You love it, admit it.)_

_Merlin_

_Ps: Fancy a coffee?_

* * *

Arthur's smile could light up the whole town and he doesn't hesitate a minute before he gets up and grabs his stuff before storming out of the apartment.

* * *

Arthur feels his heartbeat increases when he spots Merlin on the bench in front of their coffee shop, under the lamppost. The streets are not completely empty yet but Arthur doesn't pay attention to the passersby.

"You came." Merlin tries to hide his smile while Arthur sits next to him.

"Wouldn't want you to catch a cold." Arthur retorts in a perfect echo to their last nocturnal meeting here.

"How did you find the snow globe?"

"Perfect, thank you." Arthur nods. "I never thought about looking for it in London."

"Never thought it'd be under your nose this whole time, huh?"

Arthur loses himself in Merlin's eyes for a minute before he agrees quietly.

"Heard you got rid of your curse?" Merlin asks, seemingly nonchalant.

"I love you." Arthur suddenly blurts out, without looking at him.

For a moment it feels like the pain is going to kill him, but then Merlin's hand take his.

"That's what I was trying to say… On the phone… The other day. That's not much but, yeah, for what it's worth, that's what you mean to me."

"I know." Merlin beams. "It just took me some time to realize it."

"Does it mean you still want me?" Arthur checks.

Merlin smiles a little more before he kisses him fondly.

"Good." Arthur concludes with a grin.

"I guess the snow globe lovers found each other in the end."

"That metaphor is a bit too far-fetched, don't you think?" Arthur grins.

"I love the idea. Let me dream, _Prat_."

"Ok, ok, _Idiot_. You must know that I don't have a place where to live anymore. And I don't have a job."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, I'm pretty much poor now."

"Poor Arthur…"

"Not funny. I need to get back to the start."

"That's life."

"Life's hard."

Merlin smiles when Arthur retorts something clever, he has missed their easy banter and Arthur's warm presence. He keeps their hands intertwined and gets up.

"Come." He declares. "You'll stay at my place. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I were to let you in your misery?"

"Boyfriend?" Arthur grins.

"For lack of a better word."

"Your flat is small though."

"My bed is large enough."

"And I need a job." Arthur insists.

"We'll find you one."

"And I can't pay half of your rent; I don't have any money left."

"Don't worry, everything's gonna be fine."

They both can't hide a smile as they walk back to Merlin's flat.

"I believe you." Arthur eventually whispers.

"Of course you do."

"Don't brag about it."

"Am not."

"You're enjoying this."

"Of course I am, I have a job and you don't. You have to admit that life's full of irony."

"Haha, you're so funny, _Mer_ lin."

"Stop it. You know I hate it when you say my name like that."

"Like that, _Mer_ lin?"

" _Stop it_."

"Are you annoyed yet, _Mer_ lin?"

"That's it; you're sleeping on the couch."

As they disappear in the night, their banter never fades; they could go on all night.

They're still a bit dysfunctional, still inhabited by demons of their own… And it's not such a bad thing now that they've found each other. It's an everyday challenge to find the perfect balance between infuriating and fascinating, and that's a bit of a curse, really.

But it's one they're more than happy to share.

**Fin.**

 


End file.
